The Song of the Wood Thrush

Video Transcript

Hello. Welcome to Expert Village. My name is Wayne Petersen and I'm the director of the Important Bird Areas Program for the Massachusetts Audubon Society. Today, we're here at the Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary in Marshfield. And, we're going to be talking about birding by ear. One of the most beautiful song birds that we have in Eastern North America is the Wood Thrush. The Wood Thrush typically sings its flute like song early in the morning and late in the day, but during the height of its territorial breeding activity, one can often hear Wood Thrushes singing throughout the day. They have a very complex song, and their vocal apparatus, which is called a syrinx, is a little different from our voice box. In fact, it's possible for a Wood Thrush to actually produce more than one vocalization at the same time producing the most dramatic harmonic effects in their sort of flute like renditions. So, that it's really a spectacular singer and like most of the other Thrushes is one of our favorites. The song of the Wood Thrush is one that's usually given from fifteen to twenty or more feet off the ground, although there are some bird species that sing from the ground and others that will mount up to a very conspicuous, elevated perch. Wood Thrushes are more inclined to sing from sort of mid-canopy to lower-story, and generally are the sort of thing that with a little active seeking can usually be spotted, so you get a look at the singer.

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