Bird calls and sounds
Hear the calls and songs of 500 birds, recorded in the wild. Search by name, or pick where you live to learn its ten most common calls by ear.
Birds with recordings
Cassowaries and Emu: Emu
Magpie Goose: Magpie Goose
Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl: White-faced Whistling-Duck, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Lesser Whistling-Duck, Snow Goose, Ross's Goose, Graylag Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Brant, Barnacle Goose, Cackling Goose, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Black Swan, Trumpeter Swan, Tundra Swan, Whooper Swan, Common Shelduck, Cotton Pygmy-Goose, Wood Duck, Maned Duck, Garganey, Blue-winged Teal, Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon, American Wigeon, Pacific Black Duck, Indian Spot-billed Duck, Mallard, American Black Duck, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Gray Teal, Chestnut Teal, Canvasback, Redhead, Common Pochard, Ring-necked Duck, Hardhead, Tufted Duck, Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, King Eider, Common Eider, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Common Scoter, Black Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Barrow's Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Ruddy Duck
Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies: Wild Turkey, Ruffed Grouse, Ring-necked Pheasant, Indian Peafowl
Pigeons and Doves: Rock Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood-Pigeon, Band-tailed Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Red-eyed Dove, Red Collared-Dove, Spotted Dove, Laughing Dove, Common Bronzewing, Crested Pigeon, Common Ground Dove, White-winged Dove, Mourning Dove, Yellow-footed Green-Pigeon
Cuckoos: Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Asian Koel
Nightjars and Allies: Common Nighthawk
Swifts: Chimney Swift, Little Swift, Asian Palm Swift, African Palm Swift
Hummingbirds: Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Rails, Gallinules, and Coots: Water Rail, Buff-banded Rail, Sora, Eurasian Moorhen, Common Gallinule, Dusky Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, American Coot, Australasian Swamphen, Gray-headed Swamphen, White-breasted Waterhen
Cranes: Sandhill Crane
Stilts and Avocets: Black-winged Stilt, Pied Stilt, Black-necked Stilt, Pied Avocet, American Avocet
Oystercatchers: Eurasian Oystercatcher, Pied Oystercatcher
Plovers and Lapwings: Black-bellied Plover, European Golden-Plover, American Golden-Plover, Pacific Golden-Plover, Killdeer, Common Ringed Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Northern Lapwing, Red-wattled Lapwing, Masked Lapwing, Snowy Plover
Sandpipers and Allies: Far Eastern Curlew, Eurasian Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-tailed Godwit, Hudsonian Godwit, Marbled Godwit, Short-billed Dowitcher, Long-billed Dowitcher, Common Snipe, Wilson's Snipe, Wilson's Phalarope, Red-necked Phalarope, Common Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, Gray-tailed Tattler, Marsh Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Lesser Yellowlegs, Willet, Common Greenshank, Greater Yellowlegs, Ruddy Turnstone, Red Knot, Ruff, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint, Sanderling, Dunlin, Baird's Sandpiper, Little Stint, White-rumped Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper
Skuas and Jaegers: Parasitic Jaeger
Auks, Murres, and Puffins: Black Guillemot, Razorbill, Common Murre
Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers: Black-legged Kittiwake, Bonaparte's Gull, Silver Gull, Black-headed Gull, Laughing Gull, Franklin's Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Common Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, California Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Iceland Gull, Black Skimmer, Brown Noddy, Black Noddy, Sooty Tern, Bridled Tern, Caspian Tern, Whiskered Tern, Black Tern, Forster's Tern, Arctic Tern, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Royal Tern, Great Crested Tern
Grebes: Little Grebe, Australasian Grebe, Pied-billed Grebe, Hoary-headed Grebe, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Eared Grebe, Western Grebe
Tropicbirds: White-tailed Tropicbird, Red-tailed Tropicbird
Loons: Red-throated Loon, Pacific Loon, Common Loon
Albatrosses: Black-footed Albatross
Shearwaters and Petrels: Northern Fulmar, Great Shearwater, Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater
Storks: Asian Openbill, Wood Stork, Painted Stork
Frigatebirds: Magnificent Frigatebird, Lesser Frigatebird, Great Frigatebird
Boobies and Gannets: Northern Gannet, Red-footed Booby, Brown Booby, Masked Booby
Anhingas: Anhinga, Oriental Darter, Australasian Darter
Cormorants and Shags: Little Pied Cormorant, Reed Cormorant, Little Cormorant, Brandt's Cormorant, Great Cormorant, Indian Cormorant, Little Black Cormorant, Pied Cormorant, European Shag, Double-crested Cormorant, Neotropic Cormorant
Ibises and Spoonbills: White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, White-faced Ibis, Black-headed Ibis, Australian Ibis, Straw-necked Ibis, Eurasian Spoonbill, Royal Spoonbill, Roseate Spoonbill
Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns: Black-crowned Night Heron, Nankeen Night Heron, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Pacific Reef-Heron, Snowy Egret, Little Egret, White-faced Heron, Green Heron, Squacco Heron, Indian Pond-Heron, Western Cattle-Egret, Eastern Cattle-Egret, Great Egret, Medium Egret, Gray Heron, Great Blue Heron, Purple Heron
Pelicans: American White Pelican, Brown Pelican, Australian Pelican
New World Vultures: Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture
Osprey: Osprey
Hawks, Eagles, and Kites: Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Western Marsh Harrier, Northern Harrier, Red Kite, Black Kite, Bald Eagle, Mississippi Kite, Broad-winged Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Common Buzzard
Barn-Owls: American Barn Owl
Owls: Great Horned Owl, Barred Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl
Bee-eaters: Asian Green Bee-eater, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Rainbow Bee-eater
Kingfishers: Common Kingfisher, Laughing Kookaburra, White-throated Kingfisher, Belted Kingfisher
Asian Barbets: Coppersmith Barbet
Woodpeckers: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Northern Flicker
Falcons and Caracaras: Eurasian Kestrel, American Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon
Cockatoos: Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo, Galah, Little Corella, Long-billed Corella, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Old World Parrots: Alexandrine Parakeet, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Plum-headed Parakeet, Crimson Rosella, Musk Lorikeet, Rainbow Lorikeet
Tyrant Flycatchers: Eastern Wood-Pewee, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Kingbird, Gray Kingbird
Fairywrens: Superb Fairywren
Honeyeaters: Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Noisy Miner, Red Wattlebird, White-plumed Honeyeater, New Holland Honeyeater, Noisy Friarbird
Pardalotes: Striated Pardalote
Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis: Red-eyed Vireo
Woodswallows, Bellmagpies, and Allies: White-breasted Woodswallow, Australian Magpie
Fantails: Willie-wagtail, Gray Fantail
Drongos: Black Drongo
Monarch Flycatchers: Magpie-lark
Crows, Jays, and Magpies: Blue Jay, Eurasian Jay, Eurasian Magpie, Black-billed Magpie, Eurasian Jackdaw, House Crow, Rook, American Crow, Fish Crow, Carrion Crow, Hooded Crow, Large-billed Crow, Australian Raven, Pied Crow, Common Raven
Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice: Coal Tit, Black-capped Chickadee, Boreal Chickadee, Eurasian Blue Tit, Tufted Titmouse, Great Tit
Larks: Eurasian Skylark, Crested Lark, Horned Lark
Cisticolas and Allies: Common Tailorbird
Swallows: Bank Swallow, Tree Swallow, Purple Martin, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Welcome Swallow, Barn Swallow, Wire-tailed Swallow, Western House-Martin, Tree Martin, Cliff Swallow, Cave Swallow
Bulbuls: Common Bulbul, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Red-vented Bulbul
Leaf Warblers: Common Chiffchaff
Long-tailed Tits: Long-tailed Tit
Sylviid Warblers and Allies: Eurasian Blackcap
White-eyes, Yuhinas, and Allies: Indian White-eye, Silvereye
Laughingthrushes and Allies: Jungle Babbler
Kinglets: Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Goldcrest
Nuthatches: White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-breasted Nuthatch
Treecreepers: Eurasian Treecreeper, Brown Creeper
Wrens: Northern House Wren, Eurasian Wren, Winter Wren, Marsh Wren, Carolina Wren
Dippers: White-throated Dipper
Starlings: European Starling, Rosy Starling, Indian Pied Starling, Common Myna, Jungle Myna
Mockingbirds and Thrashers: Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, Northern Mockingbird
Thrushes and Allies: Eastern Bluebird, Varied Thrush, Veery, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Swainson's Thrush, Hermit Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Redwing, Eurasian Blackbird, American Robin
Old World Flycatchers: European Robin, Black Redstart, European Stonechat, Northern Wheatear
Waxwings: Cedar Waxwing
Weavers and Allies: Village Weaver, Baya Weaver
Waxbills and Allies: Bronze Mannikin, Indian Silverbill, Scaly-breasted Munia
Accentors: Dunnock
Old World Sparrows: House Sparrow, Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Wagtails and Pipits: Gray Wagtail, Western Yellow Wagtail, Citrine Wagtail, White Wagtail, Paddyfield Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, American Pipit
Finches, Euphonias, and Allies: Common Chaffinch, Brambling, Evening Grosbeak, Pine Grosbeak, Eurasian Bullfinch, House Finch, Purple Finch, European Greenfinch, Eurasian Linnet, Red Crossbill, White-winged Crossbill, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch, American Goldfinch
Longspurs and Snow Buntings: Lapland Longspur, Snow Bunting
Old World Buntings: Reed Bunting
New World Sparrows: Chipping Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Field Sparrow, American Tree Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, White-crowned Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Eastern Towhee
Troupials and Allies: Yellow-headed Blackbird, Bobolink, Western Meadowlark, Baltimore Oriole, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Rusty Blackbird, Brewer's Blackbird, Common Grackle, Boat-tailed Grackle, Great-tailed Grackle
New World Warblers: Ovenbird, Black-and-white Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Cape May Warbler, Northern Parula, Magnolia Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Palm Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Wilson's Warbler
Cardinals and Allies: Summer Tanager, Scarlet Tanager, Northern Cardinal, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Dickcissel
Tanagers and Allies: Bananaquit
A bird and its call on every new tab
BirdTab is a browser extension for Chrome, Edge and Firefox: each new tab shows a bird, and you can play its call.
Why BirdTab?
Authentic Audio
Real field recordings from Xeno-canto and Wikimedia Commons, made by birders and sound recordists in the wild.
Paired Learning
Every audio recording is paired with the bird's photo, name, and habitat — creating a complete sensory learning experience.
Quiet Mode
Complete control over volume and autoplay settings. Set audio to click-to-play for quiet offices or shared spaces.
Benefits
Boost Productivity
A gentle, varied natural sound can mask distracting office noise better than silence for many people.
Stress Relief
People often describe birdsong as one of the most restorative natural sounds, and studies link hearing birds with better mood.
Audio Identification
Become a complete birder. In the field, you often hear a bird long before you see it. Train your ears with daily exposure.
How It Works
Enable Audio
Once installed, press play on any bird to hear it, or turn on Auto-play media in Settings. Set the volume with the slider by the speaker icon.
Discover Sounds
Each new tab brings a field recording of the featured bird's call or song, paired with its image and information.
Customize Playback
Adjust volume, turn auto-play on or off, mute audio, or turn on quiet hours — full control is always one click away.
The Science of Birdsong and Productivity
It's not just pleasant background noise. Research on birdsong suggests it is restorative for many people. Attention Restoration Theory proposes that natural surroundings help the mind recover from the fatigue of sustained, directed focus, and in interviews by Eleanor Ratcliffe and colleagues (2013), birdsong was the natural sound people most often linked with feeling restored.
Unlike music with lyrics or a strong beat, birdsong is varied without demanding attention, which is one reason people find it easy to work alongside.
In a 2022 study from King's College London, published in Scientific Reports, about 1,300 people logged their mood in a smartphone app. Moments when they saw or heard birds were linked with better mental wellbeing, and the association lasted up to four hours. It was an observational study: it shows a link, not that birdsong causes the improvement.
Bringing these sounds into your day is an easy way to learn birds by ear, and many people simply find it pleasant to work with.
How Bird Song Identification Works: A Beginner's Guide
Learning to identify birds by sound is a skill that rewards patience and regular practice. Unlike visual identification, which requires seeing the bird, audio ID works across forests, backyards, and even urban parks where birds remain hidden in foliage.
The process starts with learning a bird's song type. Most species have a primary song (used during breeding season by males), contact calls (short notes to communicate with flock members), and alarm calls (sharp, urgent sounds signaling danger). Once you know which type you're hearing, you can narrow down the species.
Pitch, rhythm, and pattern are the primary identifiers. The Louisiana Waterthrush begins with loud, slurred notes and ends in a jumbled warble. The Veery has a distinctive downward spiral quality. The Barred Owl's "Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?" is unmistakable once heard.
BirdTab accelerates this learning by consistently pairing audio with visuals and names, building multi-sensory memory associations that stick far better than studying a sound list in isolation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you identify a bird by its sound alone?
Yes — experienced birders routinely identify species by sound alone, and audio ID is considered an advanced birding skill. Many common species are actually easier to locate by ear than by sight. For example, the Ovenbird's loud "teacher-teacher-teacher" call and the Wood Thrush's flute-like song are unmistakable once you've heard them. BirdTab helps you build this audio library through daily paired exposure to calls and images.
What is the best way to learn bird calls and songs?
The most effective method is paired visual-audio learning combined with spaced repetition — seeing the bird's photo alongside hearing its call, repeatedly over time. This is exactly how BirdTab works. Each new tab pairs a high-quality field recording with the bird's image and name, so your brain builds associations between the sound and the species. This approach mirrors how music students learn to recognize instruments by ear.
Does listening to bird sounds help with focus and productivity?
Yes, and the science is solid. A 2021 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that birdsong significantly improves mood and mental well-being. Research in environmental psychology shows that natural soundscapes — especially birdsong — reduce cognitive fatigue, lower perceived stress, and improve attention restoration. Unlike music with lyrics or random white noise, birdsong occupies enough of the brain's auditory attention to block distracting sounds without being cognitively demanding.
What is the difference between a bird call and a bird song?
Bird songs are typically longer, more complex vocalizations used primarily by males during breeding season to attract mates and defend territory. Bird calls are shorter, simpler sounds used for communication year-round — contact calls to stay in touch with a flock, alarm calls to signal danger, or begging calls from chicks. BirdTab features both, and each recording's credit shows its sound type, such as call or song.
Are the bird recordings in BirdTab authentic field recordings?
Yes. BirdTab's recordings come from Xeno-canto, a community archive of bird sounds recorded in the field, and from Wikimedia Commons. They are authentic recordings of wild birds, not synthesized or studio-produced sounds, and each one is credited to its recordist.
Will bird audio play automatically when I open a tab?
Not by default. Out of the box, audio is click-to-play: the bird's call plays only when you press play — perfect for shared offices, libraries, or any quiet environment. If you want each new tab to greet you with a call, turn on Auto-play media in Settings. You can also mute audio entirely while keeping all the visual features, and quiet hours keep BirdTab silent from 8 PM to 8 AM.
Which birds have the most recognizable calls for beginners?
Some of the easiest bird calls to learn as a beginner include the American Robin (a cheerful, caroling song), the Black-capped Chickadee (its name is literally its call: "chick-a-dee-dee-dee"), the Northern Cardinal (loud, clear whistles), the White-throated Sparrow ("Old Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody"), and the Eastern Towhee ("Drink your tea!"). Many birders learn bird songs through these kinds of mnemonic phrases, and BirdTab helps by pairing every call with a photo of the bird.
Ready to transform your new tab?
What Our Community Says
100+ reviews on the Chrome Web Store, all 5 stars.
“Love, Love, Love this bird app! Birds I never knew exsisted, now revealed! And I can pick a region anywhere in the world! Thanks birdtab.app! ”
“Fantastic extension, I can easily explore the nature all over the world simply via my browser. ”
“So nice to open the browser and have a gorgeous singing/calling bird instead of the same old google search page! ”
“The reason I love opening up a new tab. As an ornithologist and birder, this is my favorite extension. ”
“Happy to see nice birds from my region whenever I surf the web, will definitely show my ornithologist colleagues! ”
“I am obsessed with birds, and I love this extension so much that it's hard to put into words. I love discovering a new bird species with every tab I open. Thank you for making this extension for bird lovers like myself. ”
“I was looking for a high-contrast theme for Brave because it's annoyingly difficult to see your active tab among all the rest in that browser, but then I found this and obviously had to have it. I still can't find what tab I'm in, but every time I see a wonderful new bird, it's worth it. ”
“Amazing extension! Opening a new tab feels like a breath of fresh air :) I'm learning about new birds, appreciating the birds around me more, and taking much-needed tiny pauses in the day. Thank you, birdtab! ”
