Canadian Geese are musically dimorphic[1], meaning goose males and goose females sing different songs, or in this case, different notes. The male goose sings “a-honk” in F, and the female goose sings “a-hink” in G. Between the couple, is the interval of a whole tone. Drag over ‘dem noteheads below. Try rolling the mouse back […]
Archive of posts tagged Birds
Oh! Oh! Canada! Canada!
This little bird has a big song. He double-tracks the melody like John Lennon in his syrinx. It’s so loud, you can easily pick him out of your local biophony―other oscine song, insectival drone, and mammalian utterances―high up in the Seventh Octave, comfortable in his perch above Middle C. Ornithologists have even set nationalistic lyrics […]
Blue Jays
The blue jays are back in town, at least here in my feathery nape of this hairy neck of the snowy woods. These birds are triple forte all the way, and down-right rocking too. Their eponymous call is a screamo-inflected “jaay-jaay” in Concert A. They often bend down a whole tone to a G, as […]
Quiet as a Quetzal at the Conquest
The singing stairs of the pyramid have lost some fidelity over the centuries, as the once smooth plaster finish erodes from each step, but one can still hear the famous echoes reflected back from hand claps, like the chirps of the Resplendent Quetzal, a bird who, according to Mayan legend, represents the plumed serpent Quetzlcoatl. […]
Cock-a-doodle Doo
Since chickens find the same faces attractive as we do, it’s possible we share other aesthetic tastes as well. Take the rooster’s crow for instance: Such pacing and portamento! Drag over the noteheads below to hear the rooster played on a rhodes. I hear it in 3/4 time, like the heartbeat. Afterall, cocks are known […]
Neotropic Wren
Most birds are solo artists, but plain-tailed wrens form bands. Male and female wrens sing choruses together, duetting in call and answer form. Songs are 2 minutes long, as compared to the standard human pop song of 3 minutes, and will last for as long as 40 verses. Take that Leonard Cohen with your measly […]
Dwo Durtle Doves
The turtle dove sings around a C♮ and C# in sets of three. Click and drag over each phrase above. Those are trills of 64th notes, or maybe even 128th notes. You can call them “hemdemisemiquavers”. To check his pitch, just click the Rabbit Face on the Color Keyboard up top. That’s a C Natural […]
