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"Beethoven" bird in southern, AZ, USA? (1 Viewer)

P

PumaMan

Well-known member
United States
My wife has heard this bird for several mornings now while I'm at work so I haven't heard it. Anyway, she says it makes four notes, which (she says) sounds like the first four notes of Beethoven's Fifth. She said it is very loud and sharp - not a low level twittering. I did some internet searching and the best I could find was the White-Breasted Wood Wren but its territory doesn't seem to be any farther north than central Mexico. We live in southern Arizona, USA. Any suggestions?
 
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It probably won't help in SE AZ, but I once heard an E. Towhee in FL (white-eyed race) do a startlingly good rendition of the signature "dee-dee-dee-duuuuh" opening notes of the Fifth Symphony. Right notes, right cadence, everything.

It occurs to me that I've heard various members of the Paridae family come close. Is there a titmouse or chickadee type in your neck of the woods that might be offering this tune?
 
Parula6, J. Moore,

Thank you. Yes, I'm leaning towards the Canyon or Albert's Towhee , which are very common on our property. They also seem to be more active at dawn and and dusk.
 
Must say the Golden-Crowned Sparrow is by far the closest of the recordings I've heard so far!

When I was a child, a Song Thrush in our garden did a very good version of the opening bars. Though it repeated the first line rather than going on to the second line, as Song Thrushes tend to do. But I never heard another one do the same tune since, so there is a lot of scope for individual talent within species I would imagine....
 
pianoman said:
Must say the Golden-Crowned Sparrow is by far the closest of the recordings I've heard so far!

When I was a child, a Song Thrush in our garden did a very good version of the opening bars. Though it repeated the first line rather than going on to the second line, as Song Thrushes tend to do. But I never heard another one do the same tune since, so there is a lot of scope for individual talent within species I would imagine....
Click to expand...

I agree, especially about the "individual talent". But the range map of the GC Sparrow make it rare in the entire state of AZ.

Bottom line here is that I am going to have to hear it myself, then try to see it.
 
I don't think it is an exaggeration to state that a Northern Mockingbird can imitate the first few musical notes of virtually any bird and even some popular tunes. You probably have a few in your area. Wait a few more weeks. If then you hear it repeatedly in the very early morning hours, it's a Mockingbird.
Bob
 
Bugging Me too

I have been on a hunt for the Beethoven Bird for several weeks now here in S.E. PA. The call has been the classic start to the 5th, w/ 4 variations. There is the 3 whistles followed by a trill. Sometimes the trill is replaced with a series of chirps, w/ the chirps going faster and faster towards the end. Sometimes the trills/chirp call is made but with 4 whistling notes instead of 3.

I have heard a multitude of other calls that I believe are made by the same bird. Many of the calls have at least one of the 5th's whistling notes in them.

I've finally spotted the fiend and it appeared to have a uniform tan/brown sides and back with a white breast and black/brown markings. I managed to get some poor pictures, these have been posted to the gallery. The backlighting of the sky killed the exposure. As I was playing with the camera he flew away.

As best I can tell it appears to be a song sparrow. The eNature site is fantastic for bird identification. Cornell, via Allaboutbirds.com, has a fantastic audio library. I listened to about 50 different recordings and none made the 5th call.

The hunt continues. 10x50 glasses and camera are at hand at all times. These birds (or this one? I have never heard more than 1 at once) are quite vocal and I hear him all the time. The problem is it is hard to spot in the trees and he flies away at the slightest movement towards his tree.

http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/252929/limit/recent
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/252930/limit/recent
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/252931/limit/recent
 
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I've got it!

PumaMan said:
My wife has heard this bird for several mornings now while I'm at work so I haven't heard it. Anyway, she says it makes four notes, which (she says) sounds like the first four notes of Beethoven's Fifth. She said it is very loud and sharp - not a low level twittering. I did some internet searching and the best I could find was the White-Breasted Wood Wren but its territory doesn't seem to be any farther north than central Mexico. We live in southern Arizona, USA. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

It's the white-breasted wood wren. I was just reading a book on it. heres the wiki:
The call of this species is a sharp cheek or explosive tuck, and the song is cheer oweet oweet cheery weather; ornithologist and bioacoustics expert Luis Baptista of the California Academy of Sciences compared it to the opening bars of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony[1]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-breasted_Wood-Wren#Call
 
yllwcar55 said:
It's the white-breasted wood wren. I was just reading a book on it. heres the wiki:
The call of this species is a sharp cheek or explosive tuck, and the song is cheer oweet oweet cheery weather; ornithologist and bioacoustics expert Luis Baptista of the California Academy of Sciences compared it to the opening bars of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony[1]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-breasted_Wood-Wren#Call
Click to expand...

I said that in my post but there are two problems:

(1) its territory doesn't seem to be any farther north than central Mexico. We live in southern Arizona, USA, and

(2) it breeds in lowlands and foothills up to 1,850 metres (6,070 ft) above sea level in tropical wet forest and adjacent tall second growth. We live in the Sonoran Desert.
 
PumaMan, if this is indeed a photo of your singer, it's a Song Sparrow. Here's a look at your bird with the exposure levels brightened. :t:
 

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