Lubbock Bird Sounds to Know: Passerines
Western Kingbird
Squeaky toy. Also series of bickering "kips".
Northern Mockingbird
Repeats song phrases at least 3 times. Mimics other birds and local sounds. Calls include harsh "chack!" & "shraaaah"
American Robin
"Cheer-up, cheer-a-lee", cheer-i-o". Calls include very sharp "peek!" (beware woodpeckers can sound similar) and "chup-chup-chup".
European Starling
Random, mechanical/electrical rattles, buzzes, and whistles. Will mimic other birds and sounds. More mechanical/electrical than GTGR.
Red-winged Blackbird
"Conk-a REEE!"
Eastern Meadowlark
E-O-eee-o-lay (goes up for first notes, then down; sounds sad). Call is bubbling, whistling rattle. Song is the only reliable way to tell EAME & WEME apart.
Northern Cardinal
Clear whistles, often changing pattern halfway through. Think "laserbeams"! (Male & female will duet, which is unusual for passerines.)
House Sparrow
"Cheep". Song is random series of calls strung together.
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Blue Jay
Says its name. Also musical "queedle" & a "whisper song" of random whistles.
Curve-billed Thrasher
"Whip-whip" calls. Repeats song phrases 2 times.
Cedar Waxwing
Series of very high-pitched, thin-sounding "see" calls. Some people have trouble hearing them!
Brown-headed Cowbird
Song sounds like drops of water: "glug-glee". Also whistles and rattles.
Great-tailed Grackle
Random whistles, creaks, and rattles. A common one sounds like a siren.
Western Meadowlark
Happy, random bubbly notes (not sad like EAME). Think R2D2 from Star Wars. Call is bubbling, whistling rattle. Song is the only reliable way to tell EAME & WEME apart.
House Finch
Warbling series of cheeps with a razzberry-like "wheer" at the end
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