Instead, we've combined classic late-night bird sounds with a few lesser-known, but no less inspired, nocturnal melodies, to create a playlist of the most captivating nighttime bird songs to be found in North America. Eastern Whip-poor-will. Photo by Frode Jacobsen. Technically speaking, the Eastern Whip-poor-will is not a songbird, yet its fabled call, which inspired its name, has enchanted generations. Breeding males repeat their songs deep into spring and early summer nights within the bird's remaining eastern U.
Adeptly camouflaged, these nocturnal birds are more often heard than seen. But even that has become more difficult in recent years. Although still considered common in some heavily wooded regions, Eastern Whip-poor-will populations have declined by 75 percent over the last 50 years, and the species has been added to the State of North America's Birds Watch List. The cause? Collisions with autos and insect declines may play a role, but the loss of forests to agriculture and development is likely the main driver.
ABC and partners are working to help address the decline of aerial insectivores including whip-poor-wills. Our Migratory Bird Program also aims to address the reasons for decline of whip-poor-wills and many other birds throughout their life cycles. Accessible at www. Yellow-breasted Chat. The Yellow-breasted Chat's "song" is a weird and wonderful mix of cackles, clucks, whistles, and hoots. Although not nocturnal, these birds do sing at night, especially in their springtime breeding season.
Frustrated birders sometimes compare the vocalizations of concealed chats to mocking laughter. Like so many other bird species, chats are threatened by habitat loss. Over the last 50 years, their population has declined by 37 percent. As a result, the species is now listed as threatened, endangered, or of special concern in several states.
Yellow-breasted Chats benefit from managed forestry efforts by ABC and partners, including the Sustainable Forestry Initiative , that create and preserve semi-open habitat. Several habitat management projects designed to aid rapidly declining Golden-winged Warblers also benefit Yellow-breasted Chats. Barred Owl. But these hoots are only a small sample of this large raptor's repertoire. During mating season, Barred Owls engage in raucous duets combining a range of gurgles, caws, hoots, and cackles.
When hunting, however, Barred Owls use silence to their advantage. Their unique feather structure, which includes tiny serrations on their flight feathers, allows them to fly in virtual silence. This quiet flight plus excellent nighttime vision make Barred Owls outstanding predators.
Previously restricted largely to mature forests in eastern North America, these owls now inhabit large portions of the Pacific Northwest as well. They mainly feed on fish and other aquatic creatures. The Black-crowned Night Herons are different from the other Herons due to their nocturnal feeding habits.
It is only because they are awake at night to feed, and due to that, it is possible to hear them sing at night. Scientific name — Icteria virens Body length — Although the Yellow-breasted Chats were once placed in the family of the new world warblers, they are now the only members of the Icteriidae family. They are the only songbirds that are found in North America. As their name suggests, they have bright yellow throat and breast, with white underparts and dark olive upperparts.
Around their eyes are prominent white rings that distinguish them from the other songbirds. Although they feed both on insects and berries, wild grapes and blackberries are their favorite. The song of the Yellow-breasted Chats is a mix of whistles, hoots, clucks. It is, thus, safe to assume that their sing is relevant to their mating behavior. Scientific name — Catharus guttatus Body length — centimeters 5.
The Hermit Thrushes are the small members of the family of thrushes that are endemic to North America. They have a compact, stocky body with long wings and brown upperparts. Their underparts are mostly white, with a heavy streaking around their chest. They also have a reddish tail, pink legs, and thin, white eyerings. The song of the Hermit Thrushes is endlessly melodious and sounds much like a flute.
It has often been described as the finest sound in nature. They feed on berries and other wild fruits during winter, while during the summer and spring seasons, they eat insects. The Hermit Thrushes are not regular night-singers but only do so in spring, i.
It is because the nightly songs are a part of their courtship rituals. Scientific name — Turdus migratorius Body length — centimeters inches Weight — about 77 grams Wingspan — centimeters inches Lifespan — about 2 years Diet — omnivore Conservation status — least concern.
The American Robins are small birds that belong to the genus of true thrushes. These birds are among one of the most widespread bird species in North America.
Because these birds are shy and reclusive, hearing their distinctive song is often much easier than spotting their dark plumage at night. It's no surprise that owls are vocal at night, and the barred owl has a mournful hooting call with longer notes at the end that can be heard throughout their range in the eastern United States, western Canada, and the Pacific Northwest.
These large owls may be soloists as they sing, or often pair up in duets during the courtship and breeding season. A pair of owls may call to one another repeatedly throughout the night, and solo birds will also sing for hours after dark. The barn owl is one of the most widespread species of owl , and is found on every continent except Antarctica. While its long, loud, rasping screech isn't a true melodious song, it can be heard at any time of night as these birds are active.
Their other sounds include a clicking, kleaking chatter, as well as more whispery begging calls young birds use to attract their parents' attention.
Birders who put up barn owl boxes may hear all these unusual sounds through the night. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads.
Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. They are some of the things that can trigger the birds into a chirping mode. There is an interesting side to this. One bird reacts to the supposed threat by chirping. Then other birds within the same area are also going to start chirping. Thus spoiling the night for you and your family. Some birds like robins sometimes chirp at night.
They often do so when they become startled. Or when disturbed by a sudden flash of bright light. This is a stimulus that is too much for their systems so they tend to react by chirping. Robins have adapted to being vibrant in dim lights. Exposing them to bright light at night will lead to an outburst of singing from these birds.
Other things can disturb birds and make them start chirping at night. These include thunder, explosives and even loud shouts from humans. Some species of birds chirp at night as a way to communicate with other birds. In other words, chirping by birds at night can also be a form of communication.
There are certain species of birds that are very active at night. These are the regular nocturnal chirpers. The following are examples of such birds that can become a terror for you when it is bedtime:. This is a major candidate for nocturnal chirping. Robins are diurnal birds meaning they are active by day.
But, they are some of the birds that artificial lighting at night affects. As a result, it is not strange to have robins disturbing your sleep with their chirping. The cardinal is always on the search for potential mates. So it will not allow you to have a peaceful night rest with non-stop chirping.
Here is one of the noisiest of the nocturnal chirpers. One thing with the whip-poor-wills is that they can sing for longer periods. Other birds usually give out short intermittent bursts. If you happen to live near a colony of whip-poor-wills, you can be sure you will not be sleeping well anytime soon. This is one bird that has managed to get a notorious label.
It is one of the longest and loudest night chirpers in the bird kingdom. Of all the birds that chirp at night, this is the one that most people are familiar with. This is as far as chirping at night is the issue of discussion.
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