Maybe you’ve read about this bit of bird song news? Over the past two decades many White-Throated Sparrows have changed their tune from a triplet ending to a double ending. The news is showing up everywhere. Here are a few links to articles about it: Audubon, New York Times, National Geographic, NPR, and The Atlantic. The actual study, can be found in Current Biology.
We love that the authors and many of the journalists emphasize how a research project like this would not easily have been accomplished without the bird sound recordings made/archived by citizen scientists across the continent at places like the Macaulay Library at The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, or Xeno-Canto. The list of 1,783 recordings used in the data set can be found in the Supplementary Information of the study.
Four of the recordings were made by three of our sound recordists during our volunteer service week in 2018! So, THREE CHEERS to Laura Gooch, David Kazdan and Phil Green! Does it seem over the top that we are celebrating over four little recordings in our project that were part of a data set of more than 1,700? It shouldn’t. It is precisely this kind of seemingly small observation that is documented and shared that underlies the importance of citizen science! Individually and collectively, these bird sound recordings are part of an important story about birds and bird song – past, present, and in the future.
There are other White-throated Sparrow recordings in our project’s collection. We post them below for the curious naturalist who wonders if the White-throated Sparrow on Schoodic Peninsula sing double-ended or triple-ended songs. We’re curious too, and will take a closer look after we finish processing the field recordings from June 2020!
Until then, Hip-hip-hooray! Hip-hip-hooray! Hip-hip-hooray!
| White-throated Sparrow | 3.6 | 108297581 | Kazdan |
| White-throated Sparrow | 4.5 | 186082481 | Sebastianelli |
| White-throated Sparrow | 4 | 107795761 | Gooch |
| White-throated Sparrow | 4 | 105916381 | Gooch |
| White-throated Sparrow | 3.5 | 91146571 | Sebastianelli |
| White-throated Sparrow | 3.5 | 107793441 | Kazdan |
| White-throated Sparrow | 3.5 | 104716561 | Green |
| White-throated Sparrow | 3 | 166994541 | Sebastianelli |
| White-throated Sparrow | 3 | 186082471 | Sebastianelli |
| White-throated Sparrow | 3 | 185820421 | Sebastianelli |
| White-throated Sparrow | 2.5 | 107667551 | Gooch |
| White-throated Sparrow | 2 | 90968201 | Sebastianelli |
| White-throated Sparrow | 2 | 104819241 | Kazdan |
| White-throated Sparrow | 2 | 104501391 | Green |
| White-throated Sparrow | 1.5 | 90966021 | Sebastianelli |
I have heard both versions of the white-throated sparrow song on the south side of Cadillac Mountain near the summit for many years. I look for the sparrows each summer. I have no recordings(proof) just observations. I am also certain that both calls are being used by the same birds, meaning that the old call is not necessarily being replaced. In addition, I have heard the three note repeat at the end of the old call being used on the end of the new call. I question the accuracy of this study. These birds were not supposed to be making the new call past Ontario, but they have been singing it in New England on Cadillac Mt for at least a decade. I’m a citizen with an interest in wildlife and birds. As a photographer I have led tours for Mass Audubon South Shore Sanctuaries. I’m also a professional musician. The white-throated sparrow calls both old and new are my favorite bird calls. I have sung and whistled them and played them on several instruments. I’m certain that they have been using the new call on Cadillac Mt for years; that individual birds use both calls and that they sometimes add the three note ending to the new call. I hope that you might be able to have your team members visit the top of Cadillac to confirm these assertions with recordings. Sincerely,
Greg Lessard
Hi Greg, this year our research season ran from June 2 thru June 22, and we were mostly on Schoodic Peninsula. However, next year, we hope to expand our recordings to include way more from MDI, including Cadillac! It will be interesting to see what we get!
When I lived in Pennsylvania, over the course of two summers, I noticed a change in the song of the song sparrows that nested there. It was a very audibly noticeable change. Unfortunately, though, one day I discovered a cat had killed a song sparrow. After that, oddly, their songs returned to the more traditional version.
Hi Jenni, you might be interested in this post we did that highlighted Song Sparrows: https://schoodicnotes.blog/2019/11/29/friday-favs-song-sparrow/