Wren

Wrens in Britain have a more powerful song than their cousins from eastern North America, and the call notes are different, even though they are considered the same species.

Addendum July 2010: They are now considered separate species, Eurasian and Winter Wren.

(Apr, Herts, England).



















The song of the eastern US (Winter) Wren sounds weaker by comparison, with less frequency variation (July, ME).
Most Winter Wrens in the eastern United States sing only two different songs, albeit amazingly long and complicated vocalizations (western birds, now a separate species, Pacific Wren, have a larger repertoire).
(July, ME)

time scale reduced








Alarm calls are uttered rapidly in a staccato series. The bird in the foreground was a male; the nearby bird with the doubled call was presumably the female (Apr, Herts).












Another example of the doubled call (Apr, Suffolk).












Another commonly heard call, a rapid series of notes (Apr, Herts).












The eastern US Winter Wren alarm call is usually uttered in pairs, but is quite different from the above calls (Oct, PA).












Less commonly heard, a staccato alarm by a Winter Wren (Mar, PA).










For a discussion regarding the differences in calls and songs of eastern and western US Winter Wrens, including a possible species split, see Earbirding. To my ears, the calls of British Wrens are closer to those of the western US birds.

Tit songs

Recordings April, Herts, England unless noted.

Blue Tit songs. The following are clearly songs, but as with other titmice, many vocalizations are difficult to assign to call or song.




(Mar, Herts)


(Mar, Herts)


(Mar, Herts)


Singing atdawn is persistent. At the end of this recording I believe mating occurred, with one of the birds twittering at high frequency (May, Herts).


twitter/mating call

twitter, time scale reduced




Great Tit.














Coal Tit songs are similar in rhythm to the Great Tit, but have a different tone.






























>









Coal Tit and Great Tit together.

Coal Tit









Great Tit










Coal Tit "courtship/copulation" song. This extended song was made at the time of intimate association with a female. Initially the birds chased around a bush with twittering, and then the male fluttered his wings rapidly and at one point mounted the female, uttering this remarkable continuous vocalization (Apr, Herts).


time scale reduced




Marsh and Willow Tits are very similar in appearance but have different vocalizations.

Marsh Tit.










Willow Tit (May, Herts).


















(July, Italy)



One of the two song types of the Wood Warbler is similar to the Willow Tit (June, Suffolk).

Tit calls

Recordings April, Hertfordshire, England unless noted.

Blue Tit scolding alarm call.












Contact calls (Dec, Herts).











More contact calls (Dec, Herts).










Sometimes it can be difficult to determine if it is a call or a song.























Six birds interacting in an oak tree, with various calls, including song phrases.

song phrase








ps-ps-cha







tttt







high notes







high notes








At least 4 birds in close proximity (Mar, Herts).







Great Tits also have a wide variety of calls. The commonly heard pink alarm is very similar to a call of the Chaffinch (Jan, Herts).


Chaffinch pink (Apr, Herts)


Pink calls are often combined with other calls.









(Mar, Herts)









Any unfamiliar call heard in woodland is most likely to be a Great Tit.
(Jan, Herts)



Scolding calls, a few examples.
(Dec, Herts).



























This one (a song or a call?) sounds similar to a Coal or Marsh Tit.










Coal Tit alarm call. Unlike other species of tit, Coal Tits do not have harsh scolding calls.











Coal Tits also make a tittering call in interactions.



















Six birds interacting with each other (Apr, Herts).




Marsh Tit calls (Dec, Norfolk). The diagnostic call is a pitchu, but there are other calls, such as Blue Tit-like scolding.

scolding








pitchu








(Dec, Herts)



More Marsh Tit calls (Dec, Norfolk).



















Metallic calls by a Marsh Tit (other birds calling include Blue Tit, Goldcrest, Nuthatch and Long-tailed Tit, Dec, Herts).












The almost identical-appearing Willow Tit has different call notes (May, Herts, 1979).