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A gaggle of16 Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) flies overhead at Roche Harbor in the San Juan Islands.
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This is a flock of Orange-chinned Parakeets (Brotogeris jugularis) in flight. This is certainly one of the most common parrots in Costa Rica - Usually they travel in large flocks, and they always, always chatter. (Costa Rica)
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Orange-chinned Parakeets (Brotogeris jugularis) A pair chattering in a tree. (Costa Rica)
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Two Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) talk to each other on a mid-march night at Peck's Lake [Arizona]. They're sitting about 150 meters apart, and a third was calling about a half mile away. These owls nest in the steep rocky cliffs around the lake and hunt in the flatlands surrounding the lake and marsh. I have "compressed" this file, the actual time between calls is about 15 seconds, but the time between the query and response is accurate.
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Cattle Egrets (Bubulcus ibis) are common residents of the country, though I rarely hear them call. This one was recorded in flight in Grano de Oro, in the Talamancas,(Costa Rica) 11/98.
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Red-Tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) are the most widespread large hawks, or Buteos in the US. This is a scream you typically hear far overhead while the bird is soaring in a thermal, often with his mate and a child or two. If you hear it, look way up there! This particular sample was recorded near a Red-Tail's nest, where I was recording Warblers. The hawk was telling me I was not welcome!
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Here's another example of the scream with some chirping thrown in - the chirping is a youngster, I think.
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Common Black Hawk (Buteogallus anthracinus) This poor soul was being harrassed on the beach at Manuel Antonio by Blue-gray Tanagers. (Costa Rica)
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This Green Heron (Butorides virescens) and I surprised each other early one September morn. I was recording a nervous Moorhen and walked right under the Heron before either of us noticed. This is the sound he made as he took flight from his Willow perch and flew away.
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Green Heron (Butorides virescens) This is a sample to compare to North American birds. I found a little marshy area 10 miles north of Quepos (Costa Rica) that was absolutely full of Green Herons and Northern Jacanas.
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Scarlet-rumped Caciques (Cacicus uropygialis) are usually black-rumped, as the scarlet feathers are normally hidden away. Their calls are characteristically quavering. (Costa Rica)
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Scarlet-rumped Cacique (Cacicus uropygialis) call, recorded at El Pizote, near Puerto Viejo de Talamanca (Costa Rica), 6/21/99.
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Scarlet-rumped Cacique (Cacicus uropygialis). In this example, the singer "called in" another Scarlet-rumped Cacique, who gave the second group of calls and they flew off together, at El Pizote (Costa Rica).
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Muscovy Ducks (Cairina moschata) are seldom heard at all! These were flying into that marsh 10 Mi. north of Quepos (Costa Rica).
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California Quail (Callipepla californica) are the common quail of southern California. These cocks were calling in the brush around Carmel Valley Road, East of Carmel, April, 1999.
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A cock Gambel's Quail (Callipepla gambelii) perches in the highest tree in his territory and issues this single note call. My Dad and I called this call the "nesting call" because we heard it continuously during the breeding and brooding season (May to July). My casual observations, though, now seem to indicate that this call is put out there by bachelor males advertising for a mate. I have not observed a cock who has a hen with him calling this way, nor have I heard a cock with young calling this note.
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Gambels quail are heard the world over in every Western movie ever made. Here are two examples of their "gathering call" which you all knew, just didn't know you knew!
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Gambel's Quail are some of the most vocally expressive birds. They have specific vocalizations for lots of situations you and I would recognize easily. In this sample a small covey feeds in the underbrush and discusses the neighborhood news. This clucking helps keep the covey together and appears to have some "pecking order" functions.
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Here a father Gambel's Quail teaches his sons about the appropriate time to crow. The youngsters are crowing in response to another youngster a few hundred meters away, but we are too close, and the father "hushes" the adolescent enthusiasm with a harsh "cluck" just as the young one crows. He does this four times in this sample, but he did it over and over until the student stopped.
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A male Gambel's Quail worries over his brood, and takes flight at the last moment. The first vocalizations are common to both sexes while they're raising their kids. These sounds seem to be used to tie the family together, and to indicate to the children that they should be alert. The flight sound of this guy is well known to anyone in the Southwest US. It is a combination of wing noise and vocalization - quite startling if you don't expect it!
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White-throated Magpie-Jays (Calocitta formosa) are beautiful big jays that travel the North Pacific slopes in small flocks. Their songs and calls are quite varied - this is one of the typical calls, recorded on the road to Monteverde (Costa Rica).
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While Anna's feeds, he chips this characteristic call during his meal.
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This male Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna) "sings" while perched in a Juniper in Sedona, Arizona. This is a song which is very difficult to record and edit, since it is very low volume and tends to get lost in whatever background noise there is. The vocalization is highly modulated and sounds quite like distant human speech, quite unlike any other hummer I've heard. One must be right under the bird to catch his squeaky, scratchy, croaky sound.
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The wingbeat of the Anna's is slower than most, which is logical, since they're one of the largest hummers normally north of Mexico. This one measures only 45 BPS!