Pyrrhuloxia Sounds

Overview
ID info
Life History
Maps
Sounds

Song
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Texas, April 28, 1961Recorded by Robert C. Stein / Macaulay Library
Song
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Texas, May 03, 2013Recorded by Bob McGuire / Macaulay Library
Song
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Arizona, May 03, 2018Recorded by Rich Hoyer / Macaulay Library
Calls
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Arizona, July 24, 2017Recorded by Laurens Halsey / Macaulay Library
Calls
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Texas, March 29, 2019Recorded by Tayler Brooks / Macaulay Library
Calls
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Arizona, February 16, 2010Recorded by Bob McGuire / Macaulay Library
Calls
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Texas, March 09, 1958Recorded by Arthur A. Allen / Macaulay Library

Sounds provided by Macaulay Library.
Listen to more sounds of this species from the ML archive.

Songs

The Pyrrhuloxia’s clear, whistled songs are very similar to those of the Northern Cardinal (one familiar example being the repeated what-cheer song) though slightly softer and more reedy. Males have around a dozen songs, each 2–3 seconds long, which they sing frequently to establish and maintain territories. Two neighbors may sing in unison or alternately across a territory boundary. Females occasionally sing while defending nests.

Calls

Pyrrhuloxias make a sharp, metallic cheek or chip note, similar to that of the Northern Cardinal but lower in pitch. Other calls include a chattering contact call, a series of soft chipping notes during foraging, and a tseep call used by begging fledglings. Pyrrhuloxias often call while in flight.