Blackbird
Turdus merulaJFMAMJJASOND
Slow, rich, fluting phrases that wander about and often trail off into a quiet chuckle.
The birds
Every bird, by ear
Browse all 43 birds, filter by where and when you'll hear them, or switch on Listen first to test yourself: names and photos stay hidden until you tap.
Where
When
Level
Visitor
Family
Blackcap
Sylvia atricapillaJFMAMJJASOND
A quiet, scratchy warm-up that suddenly bursts into a loud, clear, fluty finish.
Blue Tit
Cyanistes caeruleusJFMAMJJASOND
Two or three thin, high notes followed by a fast, shimmering trill: 'tsee-tsee-tsuhuhuhu'.
Bullfinch
Pyrrhula pyrrhulaJFMAMJJASOND
A soft, low, rather sad piping 'peu', often the only sign of a pair hidden in a hedge.
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebsJFMAMJJASOND
A cheerful, accelerating run of notes that tumbles down and ends in a flourish, repeated over and over.
Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybitaJFMAMJJASOND
Two notes repeated in an uneven, rocking rhythm: 'chiff-chaff-chiff-chiff-chaff'.
Coal Tit
Periparus aterJFMAMJJASOND
A fast, high, two-note phrase repeated several times: 'pitchoo-pitchoo-pitchoo'.
Crossbill
Loxia curvirostraJFMAMJJASOND
Loud, hard 'jip-jip-jip' calls from small flocks flying over conifers.
Dunnock
Prunella modularisJFMAMJJASOND
A hurried, flat, squeaky warble that stays on one level and stops abruptly, like a squeaky wheel turning.
Garden Warbler
Sylvia borinJFMAMJJASOND
A long, even, mellow warble that flows on like a brook, without the blackcap's loud finish.
Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelisJFMAMJJASOND
Bright, liquid, tinkling twitters with a 'tickelit' call, often from small flocks feeding on seed heads.
Great Tit
Parus majorJFMAMJJASOND
A loud, ringing, two-note 'tea-cher, tea-cher, tea-cher', plus a huge range of other calls.
Greenfinch
Chloris chlorisJFMAMJJASOND
A long, wheezy 'dzweee' mixed with rippling trills, often delivered in a slow, floppy song flight.
Hawfinch
Coccothraustes coccothraustesJFMAMJJASOND
A sharp, explosive 'tzik', like a robin's tick but harder.
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusJFMAMJJASOND
Constant chattering 'chirrup' notes, usually from a group hidden in a hedge or under the eaves.
Jay
Garrulus glandariusJFMAMJJASOND
A harsh, tearing scream, 'kschaak', that carries through woodland.
Lesser Whitethroat
Curruca currucaJFMAMJJASOND
A quiet, scratchy warble followed by a loud, dry rattle on a single note.
Linnet
Linaria cannabinaJFMAMJJASOND
A fast, pleasant twittering with soft trills and buzzes, often from the top of a gorse bush or a flock in flight.
Long-tailed Tit
Aegithalos caudatusJFMAMJJASOND
Thin, high 'see-see-see' notes and buzzing 'tsirrup' calls as a family flock moves through the trees.
Marsh Tit
Poecile palustrisJFMAMJJASOND
An explosive 'pitchoo!' call, and a song of repeated 'schip-schip-schip' notes.
Nightingale
Luscinia megarhynchosJFMAMJJASOND
Rich, powerful and endlessly varied: deep 'chook' notes, whistled crescendos and bubbling trills, often after dark.
Pied Flycatcher
Ficedula hypoleucaJFMAMJJASOND
A sweet, rhythmic 'zee-it, zee-it, zee-it' followed by a quick tumble of notes.
Redstart
Phoenicurus phoenicurusJFMAMJJASOND
A short, sweet phrase that starts strongly and then fizzles out into a scratchy jumble.
Reed Warbler
Acrocephalus scirpaceusJFMAMJJASOND
A steady, rhythmic chatter of repeated notes, 'chrr-chrr-chirruc-chirruc', like a slow engine ticking over in the reeds.
Robin
Erithacus rubeculaJFMAMJJASOND
Wistful, liquid phrases that jump between high and low notes, each one different, with pauses between.
Sedge Warbler
Acrocephalus schoenobaenusJFMAMJJASOND
A fast, excitable, chattering jumble with sudden whistles and buzzes, never settling into a steady rhythm.
Skylark
Alauda arvensisJFMAMJJASOND
An endless, rapid stream of warbling and trilling from high in the sky, sometimes for minutes without a break.
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelosJFMAMJJASOND
Loud, bold phrases, each repeated two to four times before moving on: 'did-he-do-it, did-he-do-it, judy, judy, judy'.
Spotted Flycatcher
Muscicapa striataJFMAMJJASOND
Thin, squeaky 'tzee' calls and a sparse, scratchy little song that is easy to overlook.
Starling
Sturnus vulgarisJFMAMJJASOND
A mash of clicks, whistles, wheezes and gurgles, often with copies of other birds, phones or car alarms.
Tree Pipit
Anthus trivialisJFMAMJJASOND
Sings from a treetop and in a song flight that ends with a slow, descending 'seea-seea-seea' as it parachutes back down.
Treecreeper
Certhia familiarisJFMAMJJASOND
A very high, thin 'tsree' call and a short song that runs down the scale and ends with a little flourish.
Whitethroat
Curruca communisJFMAMJJASOND
A short, fast, scratchy burst, often delivered in a jerky song flight above a hedge.
Willow Warbler
Phylloscopus trochilusJFMAMJJASOND
A soft, sweet cascade of notes that falls gently down the scale and ends with a flourish.
Wood Pigeon
Columba palumbusJFMAMJJASOND
A deep, five-note cooing phrase, 'coo-COO-coo, coo-coo', repeated a few times and ending abruptly.
Wood Warbler
Phylloscopus sibilatrixJFMAMJJASOND
An accelerating, shivering trill, sometimes alternating with a sad, piping 'pyu-pyu-pyu'.
Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesJFMAMJJASOND
Astonishingly loud for its size: a fast, explosive outpouring of notes with a hard, rattling trill in the middle.
Yellowhammer
Emberiza citrinellaJFMAMJJASOND
A rapid run of short notes ending in a drawn-out wheeze, sung from a hedgetop or wire.
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