Bird call classifiers for Zürcher Oberland forests and at the Luppmen

Bird	Description	Audio
simple rhythmic
Great tit ■■	simple rhythmic fast low-high (1-7 KHz) . Chuck-a-chuck-a-chuck, sometimes preceded by higher 'wheat!' Call: Generally more full-bodied and resonant calls than blue tit, and not so high-pitched. Characteristic Chaffinch-like "tink tink tink" often uttered by male. [Link]	♫
Eurasian blue tit ■■	simple rhythmic slow high (3-9 KHz) . Low-high-high, with lightly raspy start, rather high. Call: Scolding alarm call: "tee-tee-tee-chirruwitt" similar to Great Tit. [Link]	♫
one note
swoop
Marsh tit ■■	swoop one note slow high (6-9 KHz) . Falling note, relatively long, sometimes repeated - like the pee below without the choo? Call: Most typical call an explosive, sneeze-like "pee-choo", starting high-pitched and ending on a lower note. Error loading Flash for sound! See sound file . [Link]	♫
Dunnock ■■	swoop one note fast high (5-7 KHz) . Swooping staccato call 0.5 seconds long heard near Lendikon. Repeated irregularly after 1-3.5 seconds. Call: Hohe „zi“ „tsi“. Auf dem Zug „zieht“. Etwas absinkend.. [Link] Contact call a dry, thick trill "trrr", and a short King Fisher-like, high-pitched "zeep". [Link]	♫
sputter/pebble-clatter
European robin ■■	sputter/pebble-clatter one note slow high (4-9 KHz) . Personal: A single note usually repeated twice. Somewhat sputtery. BirdID refers to 'a thin, electric "tick". In one source said to be used as alarm call. Call: A variety of calls is also made at any time of year, including a ticking note indicating anxiety or mild alarm. [Link] Call: Alarm call a thin, electric "tick", often in series with decelerating tempo. [Link]	♫
Eurasian wren ■■	sputter/pebble-clatter one note slow high (3-8 KHz) . Sputtery/drippy/trilly repeated notes at 3-8 KHz. June 2022 heard check calls that were distinctly irregularly in their rhythm. Call: „zerr“ (z-und rr-gleichzeitig) auch durchdringendes „tzr“(Gezetter) [Link] Warning call a short hard "teck", like banging two rocks together. Often repeated in series when excited to form machine-gun-like "firing". [Link]	♫
whoop, sputter/pebble-clatter
Black redstart ■■	whoop, sputter/pebble-clatter one note slow medium (4-5 KHz) . XC560014 matches exactly what BirdID describes: 'Alarm call is a chat-like alternation between short, high-pitched "wit" sounds, and series of hard and dry "teck".' The high-pitched call I heard recently was between 5 and 6 KHz, which could help to distinguish between other birds with a deeper voice. The whooping call is sometimes listed as an alarm call. Call: „hüid-tze“ das tze deutlich tiefer. [Link] Alarm call is a chat-like alternation between short, high-pitched "wit" sounds, and series of hard and dry "teck". [Link]	♫
Song thrush ■■	one note slow high (7-10 KHz) . - contact callOne or two high chirps followed by long pause of 1-2 seconds Call: Rufe :“zipp“, oft beim abfliegen. [Link] Most heard (but easily overlooked) contact call is a dry and very short "zip", sometimes given as a two syllable call "zip-ip". [Link]	♫
non-musical
rattle
Mistle thrush ■■	rattle non-musical fast low-high (2-9 KHz) . General: I mistook this one for a woodpecker the first time I heard it, partly because BirdNet also did! Rattle generated in vocal tract, not with the beak! Call: Rufe:schnarrend „kerr“, daneben „tück-tück-tück“ [Link] Other calls; a dry rattle, likened to the sound of a piece of wood drawn over a coarse comb, and a Fieldfare-like "chuck". [Link]
Redwing ■■	. Automatically generated from Xeno-Canto recording Call: Contact call a thin, drawn and sharp "sreee". Often heard at night during migration. Alarm call harder, dryer and more raucous than other thrushes. [Link]	♫
one note
whoop
Common chiffchaff ■■	whoop one note slow medium (2-4 KHz) . Repeated rising note, not too loud Call: Rufe :einsilbiges „hüid“, hinaufgezogen, wandelbar. [Link] Contact/alarm call a soft, plaintive ascending "hooeet". Similar to W.Warbler, but shorter with a monosyllabic feel. [Link]	♫
simple rhythmic
whoop
Willow warbler ■■	whoop simple rhythmic slow medium (2-4 KHz) . - contact callWhoop very similar to chiffchaff, etc. but starts at an even level, then ascends. Call: ähnlich oben, aber mehr zweisilbig [Link] Contact/alarm call a soft, plaintive ascending "hoo-eet". Similar to Chiff-chaff, but first part more drawn, giving it a disyllabic feel. [Link]	♫
one note
sputter/pebble-clatter
Black cap warbler ■■	sputter/pebble-clatter one note slow high (3-9 KHz) . General: Sputtery/stoney, but may have other calls too. Call: The Blackcap may generate a perplexing variety of territorial calls, though the typical contact call is a hard, tongue-clicking "teck teck" which has a scolding quality to it. It's not dissimilar to the 'pebble-clacking' call of the Stonechat. [Suffex Wildlife Trust] Call: „täck“ oft wiederholt [Link] Alarm call a hard "check", similar to Lesser White-throat. Sometimes with an additional hoarse and nasal "cherrrr". [Link]	♫
Goldcrest ■■	. Automatically generated from Xeno-Canto recording Call: 'sisisi' [Link] Contact call a very high pitched "zit zit zit", only similar to Firecrest and treecreepers. Treecreepers usually calls with longer "zzzziiiiit" repeated at regular intervals, while Goldcrest calls in phrases with two to four calls in series in an uneven rhythm. Firecrest contact calls lower pitched than Goldcrest, and in a softer tone (but quite similar). [Link]	♫
stereotype melodic
Spotted flycatcher ■■	stereotype melodic slow high (4-7 KHz) . General: To me something between a one-note and an extremely simple melody, namely med-med chk-hi-med-med, with a very irregular speed, not at all like a metronome. Call: Most calls high pitched with a buzzing, "electric" timbre. [Link] Call: The discreet calls often goes unnoticed. Most calls high pitched with a buzzing, "electric" timbre. Alarm call a sharp, drawn "tzreeeee-check", with the second syllable abruptly clipping the sound. [Link]	♫
one note
European nuthatch twit ■■	one note fast low (2-3 KHz) . A long fast sequence of notes - is it the 'twit' call mentioned above? Call: Other: It gives loud calls when excited, an abrupt ‘twit”, only one, or in slow series, but often in phrases of 3-4 notes in rapid succession. But in great excitement, it utters phrases of about ten notes per second! We can also hear some shrill “sirrrr”, becoming harsher in alarm call. The contact call is a thin “tsit” uttered before to take off. [Link] The Eurasian nuthatch calls frequently, usually with a loud, sharp dwip normally repeated twice, sometimes more often if excited. It has a shrill sirrrr or tsi-si-si alarm call, and a thin tsit pre-flight call. [Link] Other: Very varied voice. Ranging from very high pitched whistles and melodic resonant calls, to chattering and nasal mocking sounds. Characteristic warning call a hard "check" or "chwit", often in rapid series, like a pebble bouncing on hollow ice. [Link] Ranging from very high pitched whistles and melodic resonant calls, to chattering and nasal mocking sounds. Characteristic warning call a hard "check" or "chwit", often in rapid series, like a pebble bouncing on hollow ice. [Link]	♫
Short-toed treecreeper ■■	one note slow high (5-7 KHz) . General: See the sonogram how the song may descend rapidly from 7Khz to and then climb from 5 to 5.75 KHz, a kind of reversed checkmark. However I find it hard to distinguish from a single note. I'm not a bird ;-( Call: calls with a loud (Wikipedia says shrill) “tyt tyt” [Link] Call: scharf „tiit, sri“ [Link]	♫
Eurasian treecreeper ■■	one note slow high (7-9 KHz) . General: Wikipedia says: The contact call is a very quiet, thin and high-pitched sit, but the most distinctive call is a penetrating tsree, with a vibrato quality, sometimes repeated as a series of notes. Fairly regularly spaced single tseep at 7-9KHz. Call: Contact call a drawn, high-pitched "tzreeee". Similar to Goldcrest in timbre, but of longer duration with a vibrating and slightly rolling tone. Generally repeated in evenly paced, slow series (unlike Goldcrest). [Link] Call: weniger scharf, „srih,“ weniger eindringlich als oben [Link] Contact call a drawn, high-pitched "tzreeee". Similar to Goldcrest in timbre, but of longer duration with a vibrating and slightly rolling tone. Generally repeated in evenly paced, slow series (unlike Goldcrest). Each phrase starts with a few contact call-like notes followed by a Willow Warbler-like descending part, which then jumps to a few descending high notes to form a marked conclusion. Note that "mixed singers" are not uncommon in areas where both species of treecreepers occur. [Link]	♫
rasp
Eurasian jay ■■	rasp one note slow medium (1-5 KHz) . Typically harsh jay call. I would say a contact call usually means 'Here I am', answered by 'Good, here I am.' Listening to two jays in the Swiss mountains of Toggenburg, it sounded like 'HEY IDIOT, HERE I AM...WHERE THE HECK ARE YOU?' 'WHAT? YOU HAVEN'T FIGURE IT OUT? OF COURSE I'M OVER HERE. PEABRAIN.' On the other hand, anthropomorphism is always dangerous, usually completely wrong approach. Call: Most heard call a short, drawn and very hoarse, raspy sound, often given in quick successions. Also a Buzzard-like, mewing "peeeaaa" (more drawn and less full tone than Siberian Jay). [Link]	♫
whoop
Common starling ■■	whoop one note slow medium (1-6 KHz) . I hear this occasionally and really enjoy it - a long rising 'whoop', as I call it', starting low at 1 1/2 KHz and rising to 6 1/2 KHz! Call: Other calls; a harsh "chaee" and a short sharp "tink". [Link]	♫

Practice

Birds with insufficient information about songs/calls

Bird	Description	Audio
Common firecrest ■■	Call: „sisisi“ [Link] Call: a thin "tsi tsi tsi" similar to Goldcrest, but not so sharp. [Link]
simple rhythmic
Long-tailed tit ■■	simple rhythmic slow high (3-9 KHz) . - flight callDie fast ständig geäusserten, hohen Rufe verraten die kleinen, rastlosen Turner im Gezweig meist schon, bevor sie zu sehen sind. [Link]	♫
one note
whoop
Common chaffinch ■■	whoop one note slow medium (3-5 KHz) . - rain callGeneral: Repeated ascending note, faster than the long starling whoops, but compare with the black redstart. There are many different calls, the Marler book describes the 'chink' call as functioning as a mobbing and separation call. At XenoCanto I find calls described as "ping", "pik" (same thing?), "pchew", "duit", "huit", "ti-huit". Call: Der sogenannte Regenruf der Männchen, „schrrüt“, der selbst in benachbarten Ortsteilen deutlich variieren kann, erklingt nur während der Brutzeit. Als Regenruf wird er bezeichnet, weil er kurz vor oder sogar während des Regens zu hören ist, wenn die anderen Vögel verstummen. [DasHaus]	♫