Bird Song

We’re sharing some information about how to recognise some common bird sounds which you can listen out for wherever you are! These are birds which are commonly seen and heard around Govanhill: you don’t need to go anywhere special to hear them. Just open your window and have a good listen! Here are fikve common birds: try to remember how they sound and then see if you can recognise their song in real life.

Click to listen to Blackbird song

Blackbirds are one of the early risers of the bird world: they are often the first ones to start singing in the morning, even when it is still dark! The blackbird’s song is very rich-sounding, a bit like a flute.

Click to listen to Robin song

The robin has a beautiful song which can sound a little sad. It sounds very thin, unlike the blackbird. Robins are very proud birds and will sometimes fight to the death to defend their territory!

Click to listen to Dunnock song

The Dunnock’s song is very commonly heard, but many people do not know who makes it because a Dunnock is quite shy and will creep along in the bushes. But their song is loud, and we have heard it described as ‘squeaky trolley wheels’! What do you think?

Click to listen to Great Tit song

Great Tits are very chatty birds and they love learning new songs. They also love trying to imitate the calls of other species, which can make them tricky to identify! But their regular song is quite easy: it sounds like they are saying ‘Teacher, Teacher, Teacher’ over and over again.

Click to listen to Chiffchaff song

The sound of the Chiffchaff is the sound of summer on its way. These little brown birds fly all the way from South Africa to spend their summers in northern Europe. Their song is quite easy to remember, as it just sounds like their name: ‘Chiff-Chaff, Chiff-Chaff, Chiff-Chaff’. You will find them quite tricky to spot because, like the Dunnock, they are quite shy. But whether you spot one or not, think how amazing it is that this little brown bird has made such a long journey to sing for us.

Find out more

For more bird sounds, explore the rest of the RSPB’s website. They have an amazing Bird Identifier which can help you decide what you saw or heard. You can also search through all the British birds from A-Z, click to hear more amazing songs.

Photos: Blackbird and Chiffchaff by Andreas Trepte; Robin and Great Tit by Francis C. Franklin; Dunnock by Smalljim; Peter the Parrot courtesy of Tom Pearson; Edwardian lady with bulldog courtesy of Paul Townsend.

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