Study Names Bare-Throated Bellbird and Seriema as Loud Bird Contenders
Researchers said the bare-throated bellbird and red-legged seriema both exceeded 120 decibels, and larger birds with wider beaks tended to be louder.
- On Tuesday, University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers published a study in the journal Evolution identifying the bare-throated bellbird and red-legged seriema as new contenders for the world's loudest birds, both exceeding 120 decibels.
- Biologist Jeff Podos and his former graduate student João Menezes utilized laser range finders to overcome field measurement challenges that previously limited amplitude data collection on bird vocalizations.
- Researchers discovered a 58-decibel variability in calls, ranging from hummingbirds at 64 decibels to birds exceeding 120 decibels. "Bigger birds have bulkier muscles," Menezes said, noting that broader mouths allow more energy to radiate into the environment.
- The strictly monogamous red-legged seriema confounded theories predicting loudness correlates with polygamy. "It's a super open-habitat bird," Menezes added, indicating evolutionary reasons for such extreme vocalizations remain mysterious.
- Mass Audubon ornithologist Nathan Senner called the findings "remarkable," stating that understanding these evolutionary behaviors could lead to better protections. Researchers anticipate discovering even louder birds as fieldwork continues on a tiny fraction of species.
106 Articles
106 Articles
Biologists May Have Discovered Two of the World’s Loudest Birds
An unprecedented study of 123 bird species reveals clues about how some birds produce such powerful calls while leaving open the question of why extreme loudness evolved. A bird can unleash a call loud enough to rival a jackhammer, yet measuring that blast in the wild is surprisingly difficult. Sound weakens as it travels, so [...]
Scientists Found Two Birds as Loud as Chainsaws. Here’s How They Make So Much Noise.
Two birds in Brazil are, scientifically speaking, loud as heck, So loud that these relatively small birds rival the earsplitting obnoxiousness of machinery like jackhammers and chainsaws. They’re even louder than much larger animals, like elephants. According to a study published in Evolution, researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst hiked into the Brazilian wilderness […]
In South America, biologists have found the loudest birds in the world – and puzzle why they make so much noise.
The Bare-throated Bellbird, found in the forests of South America, is known for its extremely loud call, which can reach 130 decibels. In a study of 123 birds, scientists have found a significant connection between body and beak size.
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