Nuthatch, creeper, kinglet and gnatcatcher calls

The tip calls of Golden-crowned Kinglets are very short (20ms, half as long as the contact calls of chickadees), and usually associated with see or see-see-see calls (Oct, NJ)











see calls at 4 secs











The see-see-see call is a give away that Golden-crowned Kinglets are around. Many times I have heard these distinctive calls but failed to see the tiny birds (Sep, ME).





















(Nov, NJ)












Nocturnal see-see-see call in flight at 2.30am (Oct, PA)











The alarm call of the Golden-crowned Kinglet is these notes given repetitively and with a finer modulation (Nov, NJ)










Another useful sound to know is the sibilant contact call of the Brown Creeper, a good way of locating this cryptic bird. It is longer than most calls of the Golden-crowned Kinglet, and given singly. It can sound similar to the trill of waxwings. This bird called while scaling a tree, then took flight, giving little sip notes (July, ME)










flight calls










The flight calls of the Brown Creeper sound much like high-pitched calls of titmice or Golden-crowned Kinglets, but are distinctively sinuate in appearance on the sonagram (bird in flight, Dec, PA).












Two birds foraging, with chase sequences at 12 and 72s (Nov, NJ).












alarm call at 44s











calls at 107s












Brown Creeper alarm call; this was an agitated adult in the presence of fledglings (July, ME).











The fledgling calls are longer:












Very distinctive is the jidit call of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Oct,PA).













The alarm call is this call given repetitively (Apr, PA)





Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches have common calls that are similar, but that of the Red-breasted is higher-pitched and more nasal (Oct, PA).

(Sep ME)












The alarm call is a similar note but shorter, rapidly repeated (with Golden-crowned Kinglet alarm calls,Nov, NJ)












Foraging bird calling with a higher, more musical pattern (Oct, PA)














Squeaky contact calls, single bird (Nov, PA)












taking flight at 21s










Several birds calling (Sep, ME).

Contact calls between a pair; the female quivered its wings while rapidly twittering (Oct. PA)










This bird, which may have been a juvenile, made higher notes during short flights (July, ME).

time scale reduced

Agonistic call at a feeder, aimed at a chickadee (Oct, PA)













This is the common call, "yank", of the White-breasted Nuthatch (Jan, NJ)











Often, the call is doubled (Feb, PA).



The alarm call is a shortened version of this call repeated rapidly (June, NJ).










Bird calling then taking flight (Feb,PA)


Contact call similar to above flight call (Jan, PA)











Various calls by 3 interacting birds (Apr, PA).

yank and chrr at 5s









calls at 6s









Agonistic call aimed at chickadee (Oct, PA)










Brown-headed Nuthatches sound like a rubber duck (June, DE).













Contact calls by feeding birds include a Carolina Wren-like "whip" and American Goldfinch-like twitters (Jan, DE)
























The twitter at the end of the recording is as the bird takes flight (time scale reduced)












Various calls by four interacting birds, including squeaky duck, twitters and raspy agonistic calls (April, NC).

agonistic call



Typical calls of a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Apr, NJ).











Blue-gray Gnatchers are known to include mimicry in their songs/calls. This bird gave chips which recalled Hooded Warbler and chipmunk (May, PA).



















Chips by the same bird followed by the regular call used as an alarm.




More atypical calls (perhaps song?), sounding more like a chickadee (May, NJ).

time scale reduced