Robin Song Study Male robins
may be the singers of the species, but both males and females make a wide
variety of other vocalizations. Males usually sing the most while females
are incubating. Do the birds in your neighborhood follow this rule? Use
these tips to help you study robin songs.
2. Time some robin songs at different times of day.
Do you notice that robins can sing for long stretches without stopping? We humans need to pause to take a breath now and then when we are singing or speaking. This is because our sound is only produced as we breathe out. But birds can make sounds while breathing both in and out, like we can when we play a harmonica. 3. When you hear a robin making a sound, try to discover what that call means. Robins have one alarm call when they notice hawks and another for ground predators. They make a different sound when they discover a cat near their nest than when they discover a nearby human. If possible, tape record your robins. How many different calls can you hear? Some ornithologists have described various robin calls as "teek," "tuk-tuk," "teacheach," and "eee." How would you describe the calls you hear? Try This! Journaling Question
National Science Education Standards
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