Sound Guide

Learn 10 Backyard Bird Sounds for the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC 2026)

Q: When is the Great Backyard Bird Count in 2026?

The Great Backyard Bird Count runs February 13–16, 2026.

February 13–16, 2026. Your ears are invited.

Feb 11, 2026 10 min read Sound Guide

The Great Backyard Bird Count is coming up (February 13–16, 2026), and it has a sneaky superpower: it turns an ordinary patch of outdoors into a scavenger hunt you can do with your ears.

Birds do not always pose.
Birds do, however, broadcast.

This post is a fast "birding by ear" starter kit built around 10 birds you're likely to hear in many neighborhoods, parks, and edges. You'll get:

Two short Learning Journeys to follow in the app (these match our actual lesson sets)
Sound clips right in this post so you can practice immediately
A quick warm-up you can do right before you step outside

Quick Start

Learning Journey: Meet the Neighbors – Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Mourning Dove, American Crow, Downy Woodpecker
Learning Journey: Backyard Day Shift – American Robin, Carolina Wren, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Song Sparrow

If you only have 60 seconds

Play these three clips once each, in order:

Northern Cardinal (clear whistles)
Black-capped Chickadee (quick chatter)
Carolina Wren (rapid song)

That trio "tunes" your attention to three very different sound shapes. After that, everything else is easier to sort.

GBBC in one minute

If you're participating officially, the basics are simple:

Pick a spot – backyard, balcony, local park, anywhere you find birds
Watch and listen for 15 minutes or more at least once during the four days
Record what you can identify and submit using the event's recommended tools (Merlin or eBird)

No perfection required. Curiosity wins.

How to use this page (tiny training ritual)

You'll get the most out of the clips if you do this:

Listen once while reading the "listen for" cue
Listen again without looking at the name
Say a 2–3 word label out loud (examples: "clear whistles," "jeer," "coo loop," "pik")

It's basically name tags for your brain.

This guide includes 10 playable bird sound clips (songs and calls) you can practice before GBBC.

Learning Journey 1: Meet the Neighbors

Headline birds. Big voices. High confidence. Easy momentum.

Tip: For each bird, try this once: hit play, then cover the name and see if you can label it in 2 words. That's the whole game.

Northern Cardinal

Listen for: clear whistles that feel like someone confidently testing a flute. Often a few phrases in a row.
Field tip: if you hear it from deep in a shrub, that is extremely on brand.

Northern Cardinal

--:--

Two-word label ideas: "bright whistles" · "clean phrases"

Blue Jay

Listen for: the classic loud "jeer!" plus a rotating cast of whistles, gurgles, and general commotion.
Field tip: if the yard suddenly sounds like a committee meeting, a jay may be chairing it.

Blue Jay

--:--

Two-word label ideas: "loud jeer" · "chaos whistle"

Mourning Dove

Listen for: soft coos in a simple, soothing sequence.
Field tip: this is the sound of "I live here too" coming from a wire, roofline, or tall branch.

Mourning Dove

--:--

Two-word label ideas: "coo loop" · "soft coos"

American Crow

Listen for: a harsh "caw" with attitude. Sometimes it's one caw, sometimes a whole paragraph.
Field tip: crows are often the first to comment on anything unusual, including you.

American Crow

--:--

Two-word label ideas: "sharp caw" · "raspy call"

Downy Woodpecker

Listen for: a sharp, bright "pik" note from a tree (and sometimes other calls too).
Field tip: if you hear a clean little "pik" near trunks or branches, check Downy early.

Downy Woodpecker

--:--

Two-word label ideas: "tree pik" · "bright tick"

Mini-check (10 seconds)

Without scrolling, can you name the "headline trio" from their vibes?

Bright whistles = ________
Coo loop = ________
Tree pik = ________

(If you got 2/3, you're already going to notice more outside.)

Learning Journey 2: Backyard Day Shift

Daytime voices that make a yard feel alive: melody, chatter, and brushy little solos.

American Robin

Listen for: a musical, rolling string of clear whistles, steady rhythm, often repeated.
Field tip: robins love being heard. If your morning soundtrack suddenly gets cheerful, look for a robin nearby.

American Robin

--:--

Two-word label ideas: "rolling whistles" · "cheery song"

Carolina Wren

Listen for: fast, punchy, repeated phrases. Many people remember it as "teakettle" because it really does have that rhythm.
Field tip: this bird is small, but its voice is not. If you think "how is that sound coming from something the size of a lemon," welcome.

Carolina Wren

--:--

Two-word label ideas: "rapid phrases" · "tiny trumpet"

Black-capped Chickadee

Listen for: the famous chickadee-dee-dee call (the "dee" count can change), plus other quick notes.
Field tip: chickadees are often the hub of mixed flocks, so learning this one can unlock several birds at once.

Black-capped Chickadee

--:--

Two-word label ideas: "chicka-dee" · "quick chatter"

Tufted Titmouse

Listen for: a clear, fast repeated whistle often remembered as "peter-peter-peter."
Field tip: titmice are frequent feeder visitors and often travel with chickadees.

Tufted Titmouse

--:--

Two-word label ideas: "peter whistle" · "clean repeats"

Song Sparrow

Listen for: a song that often starts with a few clear notes, then finishes with a buzzy trill or buzz.
Field tip: if the sound seems to come from a shrub that's trying very hard to look innocent, check Song Sparrow.

Song Sparrow

--:--

Two-word label ideas: "notes then buzz" · "buzzy ending"

A 60-second warm-up before you count

Right before you start your 15 minutes, play three clips:

Northern Cardinal (bright whistles)
Black-capped Chickadee (quick chatter)
Carolina Wren (rapid song)

Then step outside. You'll be surprised how quickly your brain goes from "noise" to "oh, that's a bird."

Counting tip: listen in layers

When you're outside counting, don't chase one sound at a time. Try layers:

Loud layer: crow, jay
Melody layer: cardinal, robin, song sparrow
Texture layer: chickadee, titmouse, downy "pik"
Background loop: mourning dove

You'll notice more birds and feel less like you're playing audio whack-a-mole.

What if you're not sure what you heard?

Do the most helpful thing: keep going.

If you can name it confidently, count it.
If you're unsure, make a quick note ("buzzy ending," "sharp pik," "fast teakettle") and return to it later.

The goal is not to solve every mystery mid-count. The goal is to keep your attention outside.

Want the guided version?

These 10 birds match two Learning Journeys in the app. Do them once before GBBC, then revisit anytime you want your backyard to feel like a place you can understand, not just a place you pass through.