Bird song in the Engadin

Bird	Description	Audio
stereotype melodic
Red crossbill ■■	stereotype melodic slow low-high (2-10 KHz) . Repeated hi-low pattern...well, doesn't always sound like that. The very short beginning of my Stazersee recording before the static sets in does, as well as a song found online. One recording reminds me of cicada sounds. Song: The song consist of improvised, resonant twittering, and series of contact calls with no apparent phrases. It is generally faster, with less marked pauses than in Parrot Crossbill, and the phrasing seems more random. [Link]	♫
simple rhythmic
trill, whoop
Tree pipit ■■	trill, whoop simple rhythmic slow medium (1-5 KHz) . Reminds me of a greenfinch - series of trills, whoops and other sounds with a long pause Song: Mehrere unterschiedliche Tonreihen aneinandergefügt. Zuletzt „zia zia zia ziah“. Zuerst auf Baum sitzend, dann im Singflug, Zia-Rufe während Gleitflug (Fallschirmvogel) [Link] Song characteristic. Starts with a series of Chaffinch-like "che-che-che" which gives way to long, descending, "ricocheting" whistling notes (especially at the end of song-flight). [Link]	♫
one note
Meadow pipit ■■	one note fast medium (1-5 KHz) . Single note, possibly rising at the end. (Or: long 4 second phrases, gradually louder then softer; swoopy or whoopy.) Sings in flight. BirdID: Song very similar to Rock Pipit, but tone less full and more brittle. Lacks Rock Pipit's closing trill, and beginning is less "hammering". - but what does a rock pipit sound like? Song: Ähnlich Baumpieper, aber ohne Zia-Rufe. Vollständiger Gesang nur in flatterndem Singflug. Lange Strophen. Mittelstück meist zart und hoch [Link] Song very similar to Rock Pipit, but tone less full and more brittle. Lacks Rock Pipit's closing trill, and beginning is less "hammering". [Link]	♫
simple rhythmic
Ring ouzel 3 Noten wie Ring-dross-el ■■	simple rhythmic slow medium (1-5 KHz) . BirdID says Song a primitive, plaintive series of short phrases, often with only 1-2 syllables (I heard 2-3 in Amden, sometimes chirpy, sometimes less musical). Song: Habe mit dem Buntspecht verwechselt - Ringdrossel singt 2-3 Noten - hilft das? [Link] Song a primitive, plaintive series of short phrases. Often with only one or two syllables. Interspersed with eerie, higher pitched sounds, reminiscent of Song Thrush. [Link]	♫
sings 30 seconds or longer
Alpine accentor ■■	sings 30 seconds or longer fast low-high (1-8 KHz) . Fast, long, chirpy Song: Song is a varied stream of melodious and chattering notes, more resembling skylark than the much higher pitched Dunnock. [Link]	♫
simple rhythmic
trill
Lesser whitethroat ■■	trill simple rhythmic slow medium (3-5 KHz) . Song typically consists of two parts. An indistinct chattering and warbling, subsong-like part similar to [common] Whitethroat, which is usually followed by a dry, fast and rattling trill. The trill carries much further than the chattering part. May be difficult to identify if trill is omitted. [Link] Song: Klappernd. (Müllerchen) An Berglaubsänger erinnernd. Klappertöne (5-8) Aber oft mit leisem schwatzendem Vorgesang, der fehlen kann. Kann auch an Sumpfmeise erinnern, doch sind bei dieser die Klappertöne mehr von oben her angeschlagen. [Link] Song typically consists of two parts. An indistinct chattering and warbling, subsong-like part similar to Whitethroat, which is usually followed by a dry, fast and rattling trill. The trill carries much further than the chattering part. May be difficult to identify if trill is omitted. [Link]	♫
stereotype melodic
Dunnock ■■	stereotype melodic fast high (4-8 KHz) . General: High-pitched, repetitive but complex little tune, 3 seconds long with about 15 notes rising and falling, falling at the end, then 3 second pause. Song: Melodisch, slowly rising, roughly like black-cap warbler, which I guessed in the bird-song.ch quiz. [Link] Schnell wie ein Rotkehlchen aber nicht herunter plätschernd, hoch und runter zwischen 3 und 7 kHz. [Link] Song: Singt schon im Vorfrühling. Klangfarbe ähnlich Gartenbaumläufer. Aufbau ähnlich Zaunkönig, aber ohne Triller. Viel leiser und dünner. [Link] Song a fast and evenly paced, high pitched stream of clear notes. No consistent phrasing. Similar in timbre to Robin, but does not vary tempo or pitch nearly as much. Often compared to the sound of a squeaky wheelbarrow. [Link]	♫
trill, mimicry
Rock bunting ■■	trill, mimicry stereotype melodic fast low-high (2-9 KHz) . AppearanceAndIdentification: orange-brauner bauch, weisse brust+kopf mit 3 schwarzen streifen am kopf (unter/am/über Augen), braun+dunkelbraun auf Flügeln; aber Weibchen eher braun Song: Notes from 2022: Short song, relatively long pause, repeated with slight variation? Has a very short triller of just 3 notes. May have heard and seen one walking parallel to the Aa on the way to Pfaeffikersee today, though the visual ID is very uncertain; the Xeno-Canto song here sounds different than my 2022 description - musical like a chaffinch but rising, not falling. Song: Song variable, but usually distinct. [Link]	♫
improvised melodic
mimicry
Whinchat ■■	mimicry improvised melodic fast high (3-9 KHz) . General: Short buzzy trilly sounds, 5-8 notes, high. Song: Gesang hat zwei Teile wie erster und dritter vom Hausrotschwanz. Steigend, fallend. [Link] Song: Kurzes (3-7 Töne) Liedchen mit 1-2 Kreischlauten, (ähnlich der Mittellaute b. Hausrotschwanz) variabel. Ahmt auch andere Vögel nach. [Link] Song variable with lots of mimicry. The short phrases starts with dry, rattling or sneering trills, followed by clear whistling notes and expert mimicry. More varied, both in tone and tempo, than both Stonechat and Wheatear. [Link]	♫
Eurasian crag-martin ■■	Song: Song an inconspicuous, staccato series of twittering notes, with a wagtail-like timbre. [Link]
non-musical
cawing, mimicry
Spotted nutcracker ■■	cawing, mimicry non-musical slow low-high (1-10 KHz) . Grehh, grehh, grehh!! Song: Song a quiet improvisation of whistling and clappering sounds, interspersed with mimicry of other birds. [Link]	♫
simple rhythmic
drumming
Eurasian three-toed woodpecker ■■	drumming simple rhythmic fast low (1-3 KHz) . Fast drumming, constant volume, longer than great spotted woodpecker's. Call: Contact call similar to Great Spotted, but deeper and softer. Not very vocal. [Link]	♫
slur
European crested tit lhlhhh ■■	slur simple rhythmic fast high (3-9 KHz) . Higher-pitched than great tit - how distinguish from coal tit, etc? Song: Song: an improvisation over previously described calls. [Link]	♫
Willow tit ■■	simple rhythmic slow high (3-7 KHz) . Songs I've heard alternate two notes and look like a sine wave on the sonogram. Vogelwarte.ch: Apart from minor differences in diet and size, Alpine Tit and Willow Tit can only be identified by their song. The Willow Tit utters a series of long, descending notes («tyoo tyoo tyoo tyoo»), whereas the Alpine Tit’s territorial song consists of short notes on an even pitch («dee dee dee dee dee»). See more here. Song: 1.Gesangstyp: „ziü ziü ziü „ etwas wehmütig, die einzelnen Töne leicht absinkend, nicht klappernd. Bei Unterart Alpenmeise auf gleicher Höhe bleibend. 2.Gesangstyp: variable, schwätzende, helle Folge m. trillerndem Schluss. [Link] Song: One or two soft, clear, melancholic notes repeated in a slow, even rhythm. At first rising slightly in pitch, then gradually falling. In some areas song is evenly pitched. [Link]	♫
sings 30 seconds or longer
mimicry
Eurasian skylark ■■	mimicry sings 30 seconds or longer slow medium (2-6 KHz) . Fast chirpy improvization without a break, not very high, reminds me of a nightingale or a Eurasian reed warbler/Teichrohrsänger with the exact rhythm, but most likely sung in a cornfield. Or a Singdrossel that repeats its elements longer that that guy. Repeats elements 1-8 times. Sometimes buzzy/trilly. Can go on for minutes at a time. Ich habe es auch mit einem Amsel verwechselt, da er lang und melodisch, fast wie Amsel aber hört nicht auf. Song: Song a pleasing energetic stream of chirping, merry trills, interspersed with mimicry. Trills quite resonant with fairly full tone. Song usually given in flight high in the air. Less characteristic, shorter, weaker and more varied song when given from ground. [Link]	♫
improvised melodic
rasp, rattle
Northern wheatear ■■	rasp, rattle improvised melodic fast medium (2-6 KHz) . The Wheatear song consists of short phrases with marked pauses. Each phrase is often introduced by the "weet" sound, then followed by hastened, creaking, rattling and warbling sounds of 1-2 seconds duration. The "check" sound is also often included in the song. [Link] Song: Kurze, wechselvolle Strophe mit vielen unreinen Tönen. Meist von erhöhter Warte aus oder in kurzem Singflug vorgetragen. [Link] The Wheatear song consists of short phrases with marked pauses. The "check" sound is also often included in the song. [Link]	♫
rasp, weird
White-throated dipper ■■	rasp, weird improvised melodic fast low-high (1-7 KHz) . Wonderfully weird sequence of chirps, cheeps, growls. Elements often repeated twice. In a quiz, I mistook it for a starling. This recording reminds me of other water songbirds like the Marsh warbler and various reed warblers. Song: Song a mid tempo, staccato improvisation on contact call-like sounds. Not unlike a budgerigar. Both sexes sing, the female less melodic and more staccato than the male. [Link]	♫
simple rhythmic
trill
Common redpoll ■■	trill simple rhythmic fast medium (2-6 KHz) . A few chirps and a trill, then repeat. Song: Song an improvised chattering on various contact calls with no apparent phrasing. [Link]	♫

Practice

Birds with insufficient information about songs/calls

Bird	Description	Audio
Rock partridge ■■ Info about calls, not song!!