CORE 2 SO First Timers: DD-1 (G-K)

We beat drums, blow whistles and talk into kazoos to make noises. Besides bird calls coming from their throats, birds also use their feathers, beaks, wings and feet to make sounds. These sounds are called sonations.

The red-capped manakin does a funny moonwalk.

Snapping sounds like ones the grouse makes are thought to be caused by miniature sonic booms like jets make only it’s done by parts of the feathers.

The penguin lifts its wings over its head and vibrates them over 150 times a second!

The club-winged bird’s feathers work together like a spoon clacking on a driveway.

The white stork throws its head back and clatters its beak like a dancer with a pair of castagnettes.

One of the strangest sonations is the machine gun sound the brown sicklebill bird of paradise makes with its wings. In World War II, Japanese soldiers were crossing New Guinea. When they got to where these birds lived, the birds began firing away. The soldiers started diving for cover. The natives guiding them had a good laugh.