The White-eyed Vireo rambling song

The White-eyed Vireo incorporates a number of alarm calls into its regular songs, which are snappy and last about a second. Every so often though, it launches into an extended series of calls, a mostly random collection of notes pulled from its repertoire, but with some degree of repetition: the rambling song. The rambling song gives the impression that there is a group of different birds all uttering alarm calls, such as when birds mob an owl.

This rambling song was recorded on 17th June,2009 at 10.30am,at Glassboro WMA, NJ. It lasts 85 seconds, and in approximate order of appearance the calls that can be heard include Indigo Bunting, Yellow Warbler-type chip, Gray Catbird chuck, Gray Catbird mew, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Grosbeak, Common Yellowthroat, Wood Thrush soft alarm, House Wren scold, American Robin soft cuck, Hooded Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo, Gray Catbird (second mew type), Carolina Wren jeer, Brown Thrasher, American Robin peek, and Great Crested Flycatcher.

A different regular song immediately follows the rambling song to that which immediately precedes it.



These sonagrams show the calls from the first 12 seconds of the rambling song. Most of the time a high note is followed by a lower note, giving the rambling song an up and down sound.






















Soon after the rambling song the same bird sang this song, which has Downy and Hairy Woodpecker calls in it. Interestingly, neither of these calls was featured in the rambling song.