There are a few birds that have calls or songs that sound similar to a cell phone ringing. The most well-known example is the common ringneck pheasant. Male ringneck pheasants make a loud, repetitive vocalization that sounds remarkably like an old-fashioned telephone ringing. This unique call gave the bird its common name. Other birds that produce noises reminiscent of a cell phone ringtone include the Bellbird, Northern Bobwhite, Eastern Meadowlark, and several species of cuckoos.
The Ring-necked Pheasant’s Call Sounds Like a Ringing Phone
Of all the birds that mimic technology, the ringneck pheasant is the most legendary for its ringing ringtones. These large, brightly-colored game birds are native to Asia but have been introduced widely across North America, Europe, and elsewhere as a popular game species for hunting. The male pheasant’s distinctive call is a loud, repetitive vocalization that perfectly imitates the “brrring brrring” sound of a landline phone.
Male ringneck pheasants begin making this ringing call during the breeding season to attract females and advertise territory. The call carries for long distances across open fields and grasslands. It consists of a bout of 15-30 repetitive notes, each lasting about 0.15 seconds long. There is a slight downward pitch shift with each repetition, creating a distinctive “brrring, brrring, brrring” ringtone effect.
Listen to a recording of a male ringneck pheasant’s call below:
[Audio embed of pheasant call]
Because the ringneck pheasant was introduced widely for hunting, most people learned this unique ringing vocalization from rural farmsteads rather than the bird’s native Asian range. The “pheasant call” quickly became embedded into popular culture as the stereotypical sound of a ringing telephone. Early telephones even used wooden diaphragms that created an acoustic profile similar to the pheasant’s vocalization when stimulated by an electrical signal, further reinforcing the association between the pheasant’s call and telephone rings.
Why Does the Ringneck Pheasant Make This Sound?
Like many bird vocalizations, the ringneck pheasant’s repetitive ringing call serves multiple purposes related to breeding:
- Attracts females during the mating season
- Establishes a male’s territory and deters rival males
- Signals a male’s health, fitness, and social dominance to potential mates
Pheasant hens are likely to be drawn to males that can sustain the longest ringing calls with the most repetitions. Males with the highest stamina and lung capacity tend to be healthier and carry better genes. The male with the most robust ringing vocalization is also more capable of defending a large territory.
By vocalizing frequently with his distinctive “brrring, brrring” call, a male ringneck pheasant is essentially advertising to females that he is a healthy, virile mate with great genes to pass on to her offspring. It is the pheasant version of flaunting bright feathers or large antlers.
Other Birds That Mimic Ringing Cell Phones
While the ringneck pheasant is the most well-known, several other bird species around the world make sounds that resemble the ringtone of a cell phone or landline telephone.
Bellbird
The three species of bellbirds in the genus Procnias of South America produce a high-pitched, rapidly-repeated metallic “tink” vocalization that sounds much like an old-fashioned telephone. The best-known is the white bellbird, which is the loudest bird in the world in relation to its small size. Groups of these sociable fruit-eating birds chatter among the treetops in a remarkable cacophony of ringing voices.
Northern Bobwhite
The northern bobwhite quail of eastern North America gives a loud, whistled “bob-WHITE!” call that carries for a kilometer over open fields. The two-syllable vocalization has a ringing quality, especially the emphasized second syllable, that sounds like a vintage telephone.
Eastern Meadowlark
The flute-clear songs of meadowlarks are a classic sound of the grasslands and meadows of North America. The eastern meadowlark has a slower, more ringing, melodic warbling song than its close western cousin. Its drawn-out whistles often end in a ringing “telephonic” quality.
Cuckoos
Several species of cuckoos in the family Cuculidae make repetitive vocalizations with a mechanical ringing quality. This includes the yellow-billed cuckoo of North America and the pied cuckoo of Asia and Africa. Their rhythmic, ringing calls carry through forest and woodland habitats, especially during the breeding season.
Why Do These Birds Imitate Ringing Sounds?
It may seem remarkable that so many different species of birds evolved vocalizations that imitate telephone rings. However, there are some logical reasons why ringing calls are so common in birds:
- Ringing sounds carry farther than other bird vocalizations, allowing birds to communicate over greater distances
- The repetitive, rhythmic quality of ringing calls makes them easy to locate and interpret
- Ringing calls stand out against natural background noise in grasslands, forests, and other habitats
- Females may have evolved to respond to the attention-grabbing quality of ringing vocalizations
In most cases, the birds are not actually trying to imitate telephones. This is just the sound that carries well and resonates best in their particular habitat and social mating system. However, there is no doubt that the distinctive ringing quality helps these vocalizations function better than non-ringing calls would.
Some researchers also speculate that female birds in many species are innately programmed to respond to repetitive, rhythmic sounds that indicate a fit and dominant male. The ringing cell phone sound happens to tap into this instinctive preference. Males with the loudest and most repetitive ringing calls tend to attract the most females.
Conclusion
The ringneck pheasant is the most well-known example of a bird whose call resembles a ringing telephone. But pheasants are certainly not the only bird that produces sounds reminiscent of technology. Bellbirds, bobwhites, meadowlarks, cuckoos, and other species also make distinctive ringing vocalizations, especially during mating season. It seems that birds have naturally evolved to make sounds that are similar to telephone rings, as these vocalizations carry far and attract attention. So next time your phone rings, you might be hearing an imitation of a clever male bird advertising for a mate!