About this episode
Birds make a lot of sounds — so many that author and illustrator Becca Rowland had a hard time keeping them straight. That was until Becca began picking up on familiar noises in common bird calls — like when they heard a dog’s squeaky toy in the trees. Now she’s compiled her fun and functional findings in a new guide called, Bird Talk: Hilariously Accurate Ways to Identify Birds by the Sounds they Make.
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BirdNote Daily — Hilarious Bird Sounds With Becca Rowland. Machine-transcribed; use the interactive transcript above to jump the player to any line.
This is Bird Note. Birds make a lot of sounds. So many that author and illustrator Becca Roland had a hard time keeping them straight. Then they began picking up on familiar noises in common bird calls, like when Becca heard a dog squeaky toy in the trees. And I remember that exact moment of hearing that noise and knowing immediately in my soul that it was a Northern filter, it's so satisfying to make that connection in your brain and just know the answer to that. Now, Becca's written a guide called Bird Talk, hilariously accurate ways to identify birds by the sounds they make. The entries are both fun and functional. If it sounds like a truck beeping as it backs up, it's a red-rested nut hatch. If it sounds like someone enjoying a fireworks display, it's a common item.
If it sounds like a weed-wacker, it's a rhinoceros ocklet. If it sounds like wiggling a piece of aluminum siding in the air, it's a gunnison sagecrafts. All jokes aside, Becca hopes their book can help folks appreciate the birds all around us. Birds were just background for me and when I was out and about, I wasn't paying attention. I am super paying attention now. Want to join the fun? Start at our website, birdnote.org. I'm Michael Stein. Birdnote needs your help to crown the winners of our 2026 photo contest. Visit birdnote.org to explore the stunning images from our top 20 finalists in the General Bird Photography category and cast your vote for your favorite through Friday, April 3rd.
Your vote helps decide the winner. Head to birdnote.org now.
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