1. Science Takes Wing
Lesson II - BIRD SOUNDS

2. Lesson activity based on the ASU Ask-a-Biologist virtual aviary

3. Birds “sing” to attract mates and announce their territories.
Birds “call” in alarm, or to announce food.
Each Bird species has its own song and call.

4. Most birdwatchers find birds by hearing them first.
You can learn to identify birds by sound, too!

5. How to describe a bird sound
Trill
Buzz
Raspy
Harsh
Whistle
Wispy
Metallic
Chip
Hiss
Coo
Shriek/ Scream
Bark Use a mnemonic
Low vs High Pitched Notes
Rich/Full vs Thin/Faint

6. Here are 10 common birds found in Arizona’s riparian areas.6

7. Learning Bird Sounds
Listen to each bird’s sound and make notes about what you hear.
Is the sound sweet, raspy, fast, slow?
Use your notes to answer quiz questions. 7

8. Example: Bell’s Vireo
Write on your paper something like: “Fast and Squeaky” 8

9. Example Quiz: Which Bird Do you Hear? Yellow-beak Bluebird
Bell’s Vireo
C. Roadrunner 9

10. We will learn all 10 birds and their songs
then have the quiz. 10

11. Canyon Wren 11

12. Brown-Crested Flycatcher12

13. Ladder-Backed Woodpecker13

14. Lucy’s Warbler 14

15. Abert’s Towhee 15

16. Song Sparrow 16

17. Bewick’s Wren 17

18. Yellow Warbler 18

19. Summer Tanager 19

20. Ready for the Quiz? Listen to the bird song and
select the correct answer
from the choices given.
Use your notes to help! 20

21. Bird Song 1 Which bird do you hear? Abert’s Towhee B. Yellow Warbler
C. Bewick’s Wren 21

22. Bird Song 2 Which bird do you hear? Lucy’s Warbler B. Summer Tanager
Song Sparrow 22

23. Bird Song 3 Which bird do you hear? A. Summer Tanager B. Canyon Wren
C. Brown-Crested Flycatcher 23

24. Ladder-Backed Woodpecker
Bird Song 4
Which bird do you hear?
Lucy’s Warbler
Ladder-Backed Woodpecker
Bell’s Vireo 24

25. Bird Song 5 Which bird do you hear? A. Canyon Wren B. Yellow Warbler
Song Sparrow 25

26. Bird Song 6 Which bird do you hear? A. Summer Tanager Song Sparrow
Bell’s Vireo 26

27. Bird Song 7 Which bird do you hear? Ladder-Backed Woodpecker
Abert’s Towhee
Bewick’s Wren 27

28. Ladder-Backed Woodpecker
Bird Song 8
Which bird do you hear?
Ladder-Backed Woodpecker
Abert’s Towhee
Bell’s Vireo 28

29. Bird Song 9 Which bird do you hear? Lucy’s Warbler Bewick’s Wren
Bell’s Vireo 29

30. Ladder-Backed Woodpecker
Bird Song 10
Which bird do you hear?
A. Summer Tanager
Ladder-Backed Woodpecker
C. Canyon Wren 30

31. Correct Your Quiz B. Yellow Warbler C. Song Sparrow
C. Brown-Crested Flycatcher
B. Ladder-Backed Woodpecker
A. Canyon Wren
C. Bell’s Vireo
C. Bewick’s Wren
A. Abert’s Towhee
A. Lucy’s Warbler
A. Summer Tanager
How did you do? 31

32. Try Listening Outside
Explore bird sounds outdoors by sitting quietly and listening for 10 minutes. How many different bird songs or calls do you hear?
Try this activity at different times of day. When do you hear the most? Why? 32

33. Learn More Want to hear more bird songs? Visit the virtual aviary at
the Ask-a-Biologist web site to
listen and learn more about
birds in the southwest..
For more classroom activities please contact:
Cathy Wise (602) , 33

34. Acknowledgements http://askabiologist.asu.edu/pages/permissions.php
The Ask-a-Biologist program is supported by the ASU School of Life Sciences. All the bird recordings and photographs for this activity used with permission of Ask-a-Biologist and Birding PDA. Sharing this activity is encouraged. Please be sure to submit the permission request form so that we can track the use of materials and keep this program running.
Bird Photograph Credits:
Ladder-Backed Woodpecker, Canyon Wren, Yellow Warbler, Lucy’s Warbler:
Robert Shantz
Bewick’s Wren:
Scott Streit
Brown-Crested Flycatcher, Bell’s Vireo, Summer Tanager: Herbert Clarke
Abert’s Towhee, Song Sparrow: Richard Ditch
Bird Cartoons by: Sabine Deviche 34

35. Science Takes Wing - Lesson II - BIRD SOUNDS
AZ Science Standards Alignment, Grades 5-8
Strand 1: Inquiry Process, Concept 1-3 *
Strand 4: Life Science, Concept 4*
* Performance objectives vary by grade 35

36. Photo Credits
Slide 1: Yellow Warbler. Photo: William Dix/Audubon Photography Awards.
Slide 3: Marsh Wren. Photo: Craig Goettsch/Audubon Photography Awards
Slide 4: Photo: Camilla Cerea/Audubon
Slide 5: Rock Wren. Photo: Jenohn Wrieden
Slide 5: Curve-billed Thrasher. Photo: Bill Vriesema/Audubon Photography Awards
Slides 6, 11 & 22: Brown-crested Flycatcher. Photo: Steve Prager
Slides 6, 7, 8, 23, 25, 27, & 28: Bell’s Vireo. Photo: Steve Maslowski/USFWS
Slides 6, 11, 23, 25, & 30: Canyon Wren. Photo: Cgates326/Wikimedia Commons
Slides 6, 13, 24, 27, 28, & 30: Ladder-backed Woodpecker. Photo: Mick Thompson
Slides 6, 14, 22, 24 & 29: Lucy’s Warbler. Photo: John Kennedy
Slides 6, 15, 21, 27 & 28: Abert’s Towhee. Photo: Steve Prager
Slides 6, 16, 22, 25 & 26: Song Sparrow. Photo: Pat Ulrich/Audubon Photography Awards
Slides 6, 19, 22, 23, 26, & 30: Summer Tanager. Photo: Megumi Aita/Audubon Photography Awards
Slides 6, 17, 21, 27 & 29: Bewick’s Wren. Photo: Sylvia Hunt/Audubon Photography Awards
Slides 6, 18, 21 & 25: Yellow Warbler. Photo: Gary Robinette/Audubon Photography Awards
Slide 33: Rio Salado Pond. Photo: Morgan Moore/Audubon Arizona.