The Singing Life of Birds

Most of us have learned to identify at least a few bird species via their distinctive songs and calls, and long-time birders may know the songs of a hundred or more species.  Everyone knows that a Tufted Titmouse sings, “Peter, Peter, Peter,” but what does a titmouse’s song sound like to other titmice, and to other species?  Why does the tempo and character of an individual titmouse’s song change with time of day or time of year?  What information is the bird trying to convey with its songs and calls?    Did you know that their songs can communicate very specific information, much like a spoken human sentence?  So what are birds really saying?  Come listen to birds as you've never listened before, using what they have to say as a window into their minds, using what they have to say not just to identify them, but to identify with them.

Don Kroodsma

“Seeking out birds from southern swamps and pine woods to prairie grasslands and eastern forests, Don Kroodsma listens with sharp and sensitive ears, gathers sound recordings with captivating stories in mind, analyzes and synthesizes with the uncompromising precision of a well-trained scientist, and then writes with a poet’s flair . . .what an extraordinary combination of talents!”  This is what Lang Elliott, author of Music of the Birds, A Celebration of Bird Song, and The Songs of Wild Birds said about Don Kroodsma in his review of Kroodsma‘s book, Birdsong by the Seasons: A Year of Listening to Birds.

Dr. Don Kroodsma, former professor at the University of Massachusetts, has studied birdsong for forty years, and in that time has come to be recognized as the dean of bird song in this country.  He was honored as the "reigning authority on avian vocal behavior" in the citation for his 2003 Elliott Coues Award from the American Ornithologists' Union, one of the most prestigious awards in the world of professional ornithology.  He has edited three books on bird communication, and wrote articles for scientific journals and popular magazines such as The Auk, Condor, Birder's World, Living Bird, and Natural History.  But he’s much more than a top-notch ornithologist; Don is the rare scientist who can translate his research findings into down-to-earth, passionate and poetic words for the average birder.

While studying chemistry and biology in college, Don discovered birds in a local Michigan marsh during his last semester.  After graduating, he attended the University of Michigan field station, taking beginning and advanced ornithology courses at the same time.  From there he traveled cross-country to Oregon State University for graduate school, where his fascination with a singing wren in his backyard launched him on a lifelong passion for listening to birds.  Now retired from academics, he devotes his time to recording, writing, and speaking about his passion for birdsong with others, and the result has been a blessing for birders.  You see, Don is a gifted teacher who uses hi-tech tools to help birders understand the amazing degree of information conveyed in bird songs by seeing the songs.  He says birders can learn songs better by actually seeing them in their mind’s eye, and then he proceeds to demonstrate how to do it!  

You’ll find that Don is to bird song guides what Sibley and Kaufman are to field guides.  Look for these award-winning books: The Singing Life of Birds: The Art and Science of Listening to Birdsong (Houghton Mifflin, 2005); The Backyard Birdsong Guides (East & Central; West; Chronicle Books, 2008); and Birdsong by the Seasons: A Year of Listening to Birds (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009).