The scarlet tanager is a small songbird known for its bright red coloring during breeding season. But beyond their flashy plumage, scarlet tanagers are also identifiable by their distinctive vocalizations. Here’s a closer look at the sounds scarlet tanagers make and what their calls and songs communicate.
Scarlet Tanager Song
The song of the male scarlet tanager is a repeated series of choppy notes that sound like “chip-burr.” The “chip” notes are higher-pitched and more clipped, while the “burr” is a lower, buzzy trill. This song is often described as sounding like a Robin’s song, but hoarser and more disconnected. Here is a description of the scarlet tanager’s song pattern:
- Starts with 2-5 higher “chip” notes
- Followed by a rolling “burr” trill that descends in pitch
- Ends with 1-2 short “chip” notes
During breeding season, male scarlet tanagers sing this song repeatedly from high up in the forest canopy. The song is used to declare territory and attract potential mates. Although female scarlet tanagers may occasionally sing, it is primarily the males who vocalize with their characteristic song.
Call Notes
In addition to full songs, scarlet tanagers communicate using shorter call notes. These include:
- “Chip” call – A short, high-pitched note often sounded in alarm or as a contact call between mates.
- Harsh “churr” call – A rapid rattling call that sounds like “churr-churr-churr.” Used during antagonistic encounters with other birds.
- Whining “peek” calls – A plaintive, almost whining call that rises in pitch. May be given by females soliciting food from males.
Scarlet tanagers use these various call notes to communicate with each other while foraging, traveling, defending territories, and more. Paying attention to the context around these calls can offer clues into the birds’ behaviors.
Variation and Changes
There are some regional dialects among scarlet tanager vocalizations across their breeding range. Specific elements like song pace, pitch, and hoarseness may vary in different parts of the country.
Additionally, scarlet tanager vocalizations change as the breeding season progresses. Songs tend to become shorter and hoarser later in summer. Call notes may take on a more urgent or emphatic tone after eggs hatch and the parents are busy caring for young.
How to Spot the Sound
Though scarlet tanagers perch high in the canopy, their vocalizations carry through the forest and are often easier to hear than see. Here are some tips for detecting scarlet tanagers by sound:
- Listen for the repetitive song in mature forests during spring and early summer.
- Note choppy, robin-like song patterns with a buzzy trill.
- Listen for short “chip” calls and rattling “churrs” while birds are active.
- Track songs and calls as they move through the forest to help spot the vocalist.
With practice, it becomes easier to discern the scarlet tanager’s distinctive sounds from other forest-dwelling birds. Their far-carrying, repetitive songs are especially conspicuous indicators.
Recording and Sonograms
One method used by ornithologists to study bird vocalizations is making audio recordings and generating sonograms. A sonogram visually represents sound frequencies over time, providing a detailed picture of the spectrographic elements in a bird’s song or call. Here is an example sonogram of a scarlet tanager song, with its chip notes and buzzy trill clearly visible:
Element | Description |
---|---|
Initial Chip Notes | Vertical lines represent short, high-pitched chips |
Burr Trill | Dark, connected smearing represents the low buzzy trill |
Final Chip Notes | Trailing vertical lines show the end chips |
Studying sonograms allows finer analysis of tone, pitch, rhythm, and subtle regional variations in vocalizations. This helps researchers better understand the intricacies of avian communication and how sounds factor into behaviors.
Mimicking the Sounds
With practice, some birders learn to convincingly imitate scarlet tanager vocalizations using their voice or a bird call. Mimicking the “chip-burr” song is one technique used to attract and observe scarlet tanagers and other songbirds during the breeding season. However, mimicry takes time to perfect.
Here are some tips for mimicking scarlet tanager vocalizations:
- Listen closely and regularly to recordings of real scarlet tanager sounds to become deeply familiar with them.
- Start by trying to mimic just the “chip” notes using a clipped, high-pitched “tut” sound from your mouth.
- Progress to adding a rolling trill or buzz for the “burr” component, like rolling your R’s.
- Practice the full song sequence of opening chips, descending buzzy trill, and ending chips.
- Mimic chip calls with short, high-pitched “tut” sounds as warnings or contact calls.
With diligent listening and practice, you can learn to reproduce a surprisingly convincing version of a scarlet tanager singing or calling. This can facilitate observing the birds as they respond to the mimicry.
Identifying Lookalikes by Sound
Several bird species share breeding habitat with the scarlet tanager and have similar-sounding songs. Learning to distinguish the scarlet tanager by sound helps properly identify it amidst these potential soundalikes. Here are some key differences:
- American Robin – Song is a string of clear whistled phrases, lacking the scarlet tanager’s choppiness and buzzy burr.
- Northern Cardinal – Song is a loud string of clear whistled notes ending in a trill. Doesn’t have scarlet tanager’s distinct chip-burr pattern.
- Rose-breasted Grosbeak – Song is a melodic warble, unlike the scarlet tanager’s choppy chip-burr.
The scarlet tanager’s song has a more disconnected, hoarser quality than these other birds. Listening for the unique chip-burr pattern helps distinguish it by ear.
Conservation Implications
Monitoring scarlet tanager vocalizations over time can provide important clues into their population status and habitat use. Areas that historically had singing scarlet tanagers but lose their distinctive songs may indicate declining numbers or degradation of mature forest habitat.
Some research suggests the pitch of bird songs is lowering over time in response to factors like habitat noise pollution. Tracking pitch and quality of scarlet tanager vocalizations could reveal if their communication is being impacted in any way.
As a Neotropical migrant, the scarlet tanager’s need for connected breeding and wintering habitats means their song has value well beyond the breeding grounds. Usage and diversity of vocalizations during migration and on the wintering grounds is yet another important monitoring consideration for the species’ full lifecycle.
Appreciating the Songs
Beyond the scientific insights, the scarlet tanager’s songs and calls simply add a vibrant element to the soundscape of an eastern forest in spring and summer. The next time you find yourself in mature woods, listen for the chip-burr song carrying through the canopy and take a moment to appreciate the beauty of avian vocalizations.
Conclusion
With its distinctive vocalizations, the scarlet tanager brings its forest habitat to life. Becoming familiar with its repetitive, choppy song and various call notes can help birders reliably identify this species by ear. Understanding scarlet tanager sounds also provides insights into their behavior and communication strategies. Plus, their colorful songs are a treat to hear during the breeding season. Listening to the scarlet tanager is a rewarding way to connect with an iconic songbird of eastern forests.