Technically, mnemonics are gimmicks we use to remember songs and calls, while phonetics are actually what the bird is saying. For example, pewees say "pewee" and Phoebes say "phoebe" so those are phonetics. Barred owls say "who cooks for you", but not really. That's a mnemonic. I think that we all use the two interchangeably. There are also comparative sounds, i.e., when we compare a song or call to something. For example, a red-breasted nuthatch sounds like a tin horn or a common grackle sounds like a rusty pump handle. Of course, all of this takes a great deal of imagination and creativity, but that's the fun of it, right?
MNEMONICS FOR COMMON BIRDS Blue Jay--"jay" American Crow--"caw" Carolina Chickadee--"feebee feebay, chick'adee-dee-dee" Black-Capped Chickadee--"feebee" Tufted Titmouse--"peter, peter, peter" White-Breasted Nuthatch--"yank yank" Brown-Headed Nuthatch--squeaky toy noises Carolina Wren--"teakettle, teakettle, teakettle" Mockingbird--phrases repeated 3 or more times Brown Thrasher--phrases repeated 2 times American Robin--"cheerup, cheerily, cheerily" Eastern Bluebird--"cheer, cheerful, charmer" Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher--"spee spee" Red-eyed Vireo--"look-up, over-here, see-me, up-here" Yellow-Throated Vireo--same as red-eyed but buzzier Solitary Vireo--same as red-eyed but slower, sour Northern Cardinal--"what-cheer', what-cheer', what-cheer'" Rufous-Sided Towhee--"drink-your-teeee'" White-Throated Sparrow--"poor Sam Pea'body, Pea'body, Pea'body" American Goldfinch--"per-chik'-o-ree", "babeee'" FLYCATCHERS: Great Crested--"creep, creep" Eastern Phoebe--"fee'-be" Acadian--"peet'-suh" Alder--"fee-bee'o" Willow--"fitz'-bew" Least--"che-bek'" Eastern Wood Pewee--"pee-oo-wee" WARBLERS: Black-and-White--"wheezy, wheezy, wheezy" Swainson's--"deeta deeta-whip'-poor-will" Worm-Eating--insect-like, dry trill Golden-Winged--"bzz- bzz, bzz, bzz" Blue-Winged--"bzz-bzz" Parula--"zeeeee-up'" Yellow--"sweet sweet sweet, I'm so sweet" Magnolia--"wheet-wheet'eo" Black-Throated-Green--"zay zay zay zoo zee" Black-Throated Blue--"I am lazeee" Chestnut-Sided--"please, please, please to meet'cha" Ovenbird--"teach teach teach teach" Kentucky--"toree' toree' toree'" Hooded--"wheeta wheeta wheet'eo" PHONETIC CALLS AND SONGS Bee-buzz--Blue-winged Warbler Bee-buzz-buzz or Bee-buzz-buzz-buzz--Golden-winged Warbler Beeer--Common Nighthawk I am lazeee or beer beer beer beeee--Black-throated Blue Warbler Che-bek--Least Flycatcher Chink--Blue Grosbeak Chup-chup TZEeeee---Seaside Sparrow Cu-cu-cu--Black-billed Cuckoo Fee-bee-o--Alder Flycatcher Fitz-bew--Willow Flycatcher Hip-hip-hurrah--King Rail Jeeee---Wood Duck Ka ka ka...kowp kowp kowp--Yellow-billed Cuckoo Keeeeer--Common Tern and Forster's Tern Kerwee...kerwee--Sora Kid-ik, kid-ik, kid-ik--Virginia Rail Kip...kip--Common Moorhen Peent--Common Nighthawk Peet-suh--Acadian Flycatcher Peet-weet--Spotted Sandpiper Please please pleased to meet'cha--Chestnut-sided Warbler Quick, three beers--Olive-sided Flycatcher Scaipe--Common Snipe See-bit see-bit see-bit, see-see-see-see--Nashville Warbler See-see-see-sisi-see--Brown Creeper Speee speee--Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Tee-shaay--Sharp-tailed Sparrow Tee-si, tee-si, tee-si--Bay-breasted Warbler Tic-tic, tic-tic-tic--Yellow Rail Tika, tika, tika-swee, swee, swee-chay, chay, chay--Tennessee Warbler Vee-a--Gray-cheeked Thrush Weeta-weeta-weeteo--Magnolia Warbler Weet-weet-weet-weet--Spotted Sandpiper Whit, whit--Swainson's Thrush Zweet-zweet-zweet--Prothonotary Warbler Yank, yank, yank--White-breasted Nuthatch A-weet, a-weet, a-weet-teo--Hooded Warbler Bob white, bob white--Northern Bobwhite Bubble, bubble, zee--Brown-headed Cowbird Caw, caw, caw--American Crow What-cheer, what-cheer, what-cheer, or cheer, cheer, cheer--Northern Cardinal Cheerily, cheer-up, cheerily--American Robin Chick-a-dee-dee-dee--Carolina Chickadee Chip-burr--Scarlet Tanager Chick-per-a-weeo-chick or chick-per-a-weeo--White-eyed Vireo Chink--Rose-breasted Grosbeak Chiva, chiva, chiva or Peter, peter, peter--Tufted Titmouse Chuck-will's-widow--Chuck-will's-widow Churr, churr, churr--Red-bellied Woodpecker Chur-ry, chur-ry, chur-ry--Kentucky Warbler Chur-wee or Cheer, cheerful charmer--Eastern Bluebird Conquereee--Red-winged Blackbird Drink-your-teeeee--Rufous-sided Towhee Dtzee, dtzee, dtzeet--Eastern Kingbird Ee-o-lay--Wood Thrush Fee-bee, or Fee-blee--Eastern Phoebe Fee-bee fee-bay--Carolina Chickadee Here, here, here--Tufted Titmouse Here I am, over here, see me, where are you--Red-eyed Vireo Jay, jay, jay--Blue Jay Keeeeeer--Red-tailed Hawk Kee-yer, kee-yer, kee-yer--Red-shouldered Hawk Kik, kik, kik--Pileated Woodpecker Kill-dee, kill-dee, kill-dee--Killdeer Kleeyer--Northern Flicker Who cooks for you, who cooks for you'all--Barred Owl Maids, maids, maids, put on your tea, kettle, kettle, kettle--Song Sparrow Meeoow--Gray Catbird Poor Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody--White-throated Sparrow Pee-a-wee or pee-ee--Eastern Wood-Pewee Peeeeeeeeee--Broad-winged Hawk Peent, peent, peent--American Woodcock Peet-suh--Acadian Flycatcher Perchickaree or Babeee--American Goldfinch Chicki-tuki-tuck--Summer Tanager Plink, plink--Bobolink Wheep, wheep--Great Crested Flycatcher Purty, purty, purty--Northern Cardinal Queedle, queedle, queedle---Blue Jay Queer, queer--Red-headed Woodpecker Skeeow--Green Heron Spring of the year--Eastern Meadowlark Sweet, sweet, sweet, I'm so sweet--Yellow Warbler Teacher, teacher, teacher--Ovenbird Tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle--Carolina Wren Three-a, three-a--Yellow-throated Vireo Tow-weeee--Rufous-sided Towhee Tseer, tseer--Red-winged Blackbird Tzee, tzee, tzee, tzeeo--American Redstart Veer--Veery Weesa, weesa, weesa--Black-and-white Warbler Wheer--Orchard Oriole Whip-poor-will--Whip-poor-will Are you awake? me too--Great Horned Owl Wicka, wicka, wicka--Northern Flicker Witchety, witchety, witchety--Common Yellowthroat Trees, trees, murmuring trees, or Zay, zay, zay, zoo, zee--Black-throated Green Warbler Zeee, zeee--Cedar Waxwing Zree--House Finch Zeeeee-up--Northern Parula
List compiled by: Georgann Schmalz Atlanta, Ga. jbgs@mindspring.com (home) georgann.schmalz@fernbank.edu (work)
