Learning Birdsongs: How I Train My Ears in the Field
Learn some ways to identify birds by ear.
Welcome back to The Birder’s Way! As always, I am Caleb Shingleton, I try to bring knowledge to the birding community. Before you read through the rest of this post, I’d really appreciate if you would subscribe to my Substack, that way you get an email when I post. Just hit the little orange button down below to subscribe :).
I have always been interested in bird vocalizations ever since I started the birding adventure. There is just something about it, wither it is how many times they make a vocalization, what time of the day they make vocalizations, or just how many birds at once make a vocalization. All of it in the bird vocalization world fascinates me. I would say it fascinates many people, non birders and full time birders alike. Just like us, birds communicate, the way they communicate is kind of similar to the way us humans talk on a daily basis. You may hear birds make more of a chirpy type vocalization and then you may hear one make more of a buzzy type vocalization. Each bird species has a different type of vocalization to make.
At first, it can feel overwhelming to learn bird songs — all those whistles, trills, and chips blending together. That’s why I am writing this post, I want to help you guys learn bird songs and calls quicker and more efficiently. With some practice and time, your ears will sharpen, and you’ll find yourself spotting birds without even seeing them.
Here’s how you can learn to recognize bird songs by ear — step by step:
Step 1: Learn the Songs of Your Most Common Birds
Before diving into rare or confusing birds, I like to learn the most common birds in my area. This is one of the most useful tips I’ll share in this article. By learning the most common birds in my area first it allows me to not become overwhelmed by trying to ID every single bird by ear. I liked to focus on the common species I was hearing daily. The first thing you want to do is go out and watch the common birds in your area and take note of their behaviors. After you get a good idea where to find them and where you usually spot them, start trying to ID them by ear, after you think you have correctly identified the bird you are hearing, get a good view of the bird and see if you identified it by ear correctly. It’ll take a few tries, but I promise you will sooner or later get it.
Step 2: Learn from other Birders around You
Sometimes it can seem hopeless to ID or recognize birds by ear. If you know any experienced birders in your area be sure to reach out to them, I’m sure most of them would love to help you learn to ID birds by ear. It’s hard to learn bird songs from scratch, so having a fellow birder on your side can really help you learn bird songs by ear faster. Be sure to check for a nearby bird club that you could also join.
Step 3: Let your eyes help your ears
Anytime you are out in the field listening for birds it can really help if you watch the bird while it is singing or calling. It gives you a close up visual of the bird while it is singing. By watching it closely as it sings it can help your brain remember the vocalizations better. Overall it just helps you memorize the vocalization of the bird you are listening too. From experience I can tell you it truly does help to get a visual of the bird while it is singing.
Step 4: Merlin Bird ID
When I first started birding, I wasn’t sure how much I wanted to rely on apps for helping me with bird ID by ear. Merlin Bird ID, made by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, turned out to be a really helpful tool when it came to learning bird songs by ear and identifying them.
Here’s why:
Real-Time Sound ID – Merlin can pick up bird songs and calls live while you’re out in the field. It’s like having an expert birder beside you, whispering IDs as you listen. Be aware that it can misidentify some species at times, just play back a recording of the birds you recorded in the field when you get home, and see if they match the ones it said they were.
Instant Feedback – You hear a song, Merlin names it, and you see a photo of the bird. That triple connection (sound, name, image) helps lock it in
Builds Your Ear Over Time – Instead of guessing blindly or missing birds entirely, Merlin lets you double-check and learn without frustration.
Regional Focus – The app adjusts based on your location and time of year, so it filters out unlikely species. In West Virginia, that’s a huge help when you’re sorting through similar songs.
Offline Packs – You can download song databases by region, which is great for remote birding spots with no signal.
Just like a field guide or pair of binoculars, it’s a tool—not a replacement for learning. But when used right, Merlin can really accelerate how fast you pick up bird songs, especially if you’re still building confidence by ear.
Step 5: Turning Bird songs into Words
Many bird species sound like they are saying something when they sing their unique songs. Even though birds don’t use words to sing we as humans can put their song into words. That is a great way to memorize a bird species song. Here are a few examples:
The Eastern Towhee says, “Drink your teeeea!”
The Carolina Wren says, “TEA-kettle, TEA-kettle, TEA-kettle!”
The Northern Cardinal says, “Cheer, cheer, cheer!” or “What cheer! What cheer! Wheer, wheer, wheer!”
This was and is such a fun way to memorize bird songs and calls.
Memorizing bird songs isn’t about learning a bunch of them overnight. It’s about listening deeply, letting the birds teach you, and having a great time exploring the great outdoors. Every time you hear a song and wonder, Who’s that?, you’re one step closer to knowing. Keep listening, keep wondering, and never give up, you got this! It does take time to learn bird songs by ear, but after being around birds so long you just start to memorize their unique songs. Each bird species has a unique song of call, so that is why it is super fascinating to learn about.
If you want to learn more about bird conservation be sure to check out this post:
Birds and Conservation: What You Can Do Right Now
Welcome back to The Birder’s Way! As always, I am your host, Caleb Shingleton. Before you read through the rest of this post, I’d really appreciate if you would subscribe to my Substack, that way you get an email when I post. Just hit the little orange button down below to subscribe :).
That was a special post that I just had to share with you all once again. Bird conservation is a special place in my heart, mostly because I love our little avian friends!
I really hope you learned how to ID birds by ear quicker and easier, just don’t forget that it takes time 😉.
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Until next time, happy birding!
Written by Caleb Shingleton
The Merlin app has been beneficial! Highly recommended.
Love it, Caleb. We’re so lucky to have these digital tools now. It wasn’t long ago my dad was learning bird songs with a vinyl record.