I'm a bird! I'm a bird! I'm a bird!... but what kind?

April 14, 2014 6:11 PM

The birdsong in question! This is a bird in southeast Portland, OR. We've never caught a definite glimpse of it, so I cannot give any details on size/color/et cetera. This is its main song (although it was singing kind of short this day); it cycles this for an hour or more. It varies slightly at some point, but then comes back.
posted by curious nu to Science & Nature (6 answers total)

Agree with primalux. Caveat: I mostly suck at birding by ear except for raptor calls. But even so, for common birds, I'm pretty okay, and that does sound like a variation on a white-crowned.
posted by rtha at 7:13 PM on April 14, 2014

I grew up with that sound in Montana. There I identified the bird involved as a western meadowlark.

Hey, I had to do a project about them in 3rd grade and give an oral presentation. I'll never forget it. Thanks a lot, Sister Elizabeth Kathleen!
posted by Lynsey at 9:34 AM on April 15, 2014

I'm pretty sure it's a song sparrow. They have a lot of variety to their calls, but they tend to follow certain patterns and have some common sounds they draw on. I spend a lot of time listening to their various calls and your bird definitely fits.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/song_sparrow/sounds
posted by isthmus at 2:16 PM on April 15, 2014 [1 favorite]

The chirping in the middle makes me think it's a sparrow as well.
posted by fiercekitten at 9:42 PM on April 15, 2014

Nthing isthmus. It's a Song Sparrow.
posted by Lycaon_pictus at 7:49 PM on April 16, 2014

Response by poster: Thanks! We will try and catch a glimpse one day to confirm.
posted by curious nu at 5:53 PM on April 17, 2014