Brazilian bird songs

January 23, 2006 12:07 AM

Songs of Brazilian Birds A fantastically diverse collection of .au files, including the beautifully evocative Organ Wren or Uirapuru, the mooing of the Capuchinbird, the sci-fi minimalism of the Short-tailed Antthrush and a duet of Laughing Falcons (they'll make you laugh at the end).
posted by mediareport (14 comments total)

I didn't laugh. Am I humorless?

Neat sounds though.
posted by Malor at 12:25 AM on January 23, 2006

Well, just so you got to the end,where it sounds much more like laughter.

Btw, here's a nice pic of an Uirapuru, and a bit of legend about it. Most of what I found is in Portuguese, unfortunately. But this well-known birding page says listening to it "brings good luck for life."
posted by mediareport at 12:36 AM on January 23, 2006

These songs are really wonderful, and your descriptions are spot-on! Recent research seems to indicate that all songbirds developed from Gondwana, the region which is now Australia, New Zealand and New Guinea.

In any event, here are samples of a couple of antipodean warblers: the kokako, with an Yma Sumac-like range, and the uncanny mimic, the tui (parsonbird), which has been known to imitate leaf-blowers!
posted by rob511 at 3:55 AM on January 23, 2006

Better enjoy 'em now. They won't be around too much longer.
posted by troutfishing at 4:40 AM on January 23, 2006

When I was in Costa Rica last summer, I had the pleasure of being woken up by a laughing falcon duet and howler monkeys at 4 in the morning for a few days in a row. Thanks for the recording!
posted by driveler at 6:09 AM on January 23, 2006

What an awesome find. Good post.
posted by OmieWise at 7:42 AM on January 23, 2006

The Rufous-bellied Thrush sounds like the familiar in the USA Robin Red Breast, also a thrush. Google Images presents pictures many of which which look like a robin.
posted by Cranberry at 7:56 AM on January 23, 2006

Wow. Composers take note: I'd love to hear a piece of music based on the Organ Wren's song. That's as melodic as bird calls get.
posted by gillyflower at 11:42 AM on January 23, 2006

Cool link.

There's an amazing peruvian bird, that makes a sound like an eletronic synthesizer: kind of like a "tzyeeooow". It's like a chord made by Infected Mushroom (trance artists) and is the weirdest alien sound I've heard from any animal. It looks like a little dove, but with a tiny red stripe on it and a few balck flecks. When they talk to each other it's like hearing someone mash a keyboard.

I have a picture, but it's not online.


I've no idea what it's called, tried asking peruvians, they don't know. Any suggestions?
posted by lalochezia at 1:00 PM on January 23, 2006

Gillyflower, check out this dude. I don't know if he got to the Organ Wren in particular, but he did spend alot of time in the Amazon transcribing birdsong. Alot of his students and admirers use birdsong too.
posted by Eothele at 10:15 AM on January 24, 2006

Gillyflower, check out this dude. I don't know if he got to the Organ Wren in particular, but he did spend alot of time in the Amazon transcribing birdsong. Alot of his students and admirers use birdsong too.
posted by Eothele at 10:22 AM on January 24, 2006

How'd that happen? Well, mediareport deserves the inflated comment count anyway...thanks/sorry.
posted by Eothele at 10:24 AM on January 24, 2006

Eothele--thanks for the link. I'm familiar (a little) with Messaien. I had a clarinet-performance-major roommate in college who was in a quartet that did his Quatuor pour la fin du temps, and I remember seeing my roommate in a whole new light after she managed the difficult and bizarre solo movement, "Abime des Oiseaux" (abyss of the birds).
posted by gillyflower at 2:49 PM on January 24, 2006

There's some great stuff at the site for the book Why Birds Sing, including audio and movie files of the author (a clarinetist) dueting with a Laughing Thrush.
posted by mediareport at 6:56 PM on January 24, 2006