Learn bird songs by ear.
A gentle way to learn bird calls by ear. Walk a curated trail of habitats, learn one voice at a time, then identify them in the wild.
Start the Trail
available on
500+
Species
30K+
Species Identified
50+
Lessons
3
Narrators
It starts in your backyard, with the birds you already half-know: the cardinal, the robin, the jay. Learn one habitat by ear, then follow the trail out to the midnight woods.
You don't get a flashcard. You get a place: the robin's meadow at dusk, the woodcock's twilight clearing, set at the hour the bird actually sings. A narrator walks you through. The world quiets down a little.
Every lesson sends you on a quest: head to the right habitat and record the birds you just studied. Hit record on a real one and Wings & Whistles confirms the catch, then adds it to your collection. You learned this one. Now you've found it in the wild.
Voices that stay with you. The cardinal you couldn't name three weeks ago? Now you hear it before you see it.
Discover expert tips, bird guides, and fascinating stories from the world of birding in our blog.
Eight of May's loudest new arrivals: Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Veery, and more, caught overlapping in New York field recordings and tagged voice by voice so you can actually pick them apart, not just admire them.
Learning bird songs by ear sounds intimidating until you realize you already know a few — that robin in your yard, the chickadee at the feeder. Here is the gentle on-ramp: seven birds to learn first, a memory trick that works even if you cannot carry a tune, and a ten-minute-a-day rhythm that turns spring noise into named neighbors.
You heard a clean, tonal whistle and your brain filed it under "definitely a human." Meet seven backyard birds that fool everybody — and how to tell them apart by sound alone.
Before you do anything else this Earth Day, try standing outside for ten minutes and listening. Here are seven backyard birds you're likely to hear, and how to recognize each one by sound.
Every April 22 the internet fills with the same well-meaning instructions. Plant natives. Cut your lawn. Sign the petition. We think the order is backwards. Protection follows love, and love follows attention.
By now you've probably seen the video. A grapefruit-sized bird shuffling through Manhattan, bobbing like it's keeping time. More than 650 people showed up to watch. So: why does the woodcock dance?
Download Wings & Whistles today and discover the hidden world of birds around you.
