Songbirds of America

Just exactly what is a songbird? Are all songbirds' songs pleasant?

Adult male Hooded Warbler, which is a songbird.

An adult male Hooded Warbler is checking out the dining options. They like the forest understory. During the winter, males and females inhabit different habitats. Males are usually found in mature forests, while females are found in scrubbier forests and seasonally flooded areas.

10,000+ bird species live in all habitats on the planet. The number of birds in North America is complicated, anywhere from 900+ to 2000+. That number varies depending on how you define North America. Do you include those rare birds blown off course in a storm, have broken internal GPS, or want to take an exotic vacation? Does it include Mexico, Canada, or the Atlantic islands? The final number is optional for our discussion, but it will help you understand the volume of songbirds.

Fairy Bluebirds are found in forests and plantations in tropical southern Asia and the Philippines. This image was taken at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, PA.

Songbirds include more than 4,000 bird species in the world.

A songbird is a suborder of the order Passeriformes, which includes over half of all the bird species worldwide. Passeriformes are birds that perch. Perching birds have a distinct toe arrangement that enables them to grasp and hold onto branches. Their feet have no webbing and consist of 4 toes. Three toes point forward, and the powerful fourth toe, hallux, points backward. The perching bird's hallux has a special adaptation that allows the leg muscles to tighten as they begin to lose their grip on the perch. So yes, perching birds can sleep on their feet. The Passeriform order is divided into three subgroups:

Acanthisitti - 3 species of New Zealand wrens.
Tyranni - over 1,000 species of tropical birds found mainly in South America - are born knowing their songs.
Passeri - over 4,000 species - these are your songbirds - learn songs by listening to other birds of their species.

The Passeri bird suborder includes all songbirds. The Passeri suborder is also referred to as oscines. Identifying as a songbird isn't a signal that humans will find all their songs pleasing; not all songbirds are good at singing, as we would call it, what makes a songbird, then, if not the quality of their music. That would be their precise control of a highly specialized vocal organ called the syrinx. A complex set of muscles surrounding the syrinx enables songbirds to sing. Songbirds' exhalation causes muscles inside the syrinx that control a series of membranes to vibrate. As the air flows over these membranes, they vibrate to create a specific song.

As noted above, songbirds learn their songs from listening to other birds. This starts in the nest as the kids listen to their parents.

The Summer Tanager captures and consumes both flying and non-flying insects, though it is a specialist in capturing bees and wasps. It will beat the insect to death on a limb and then remove the stinger before consuming it.

House Sparrows are one of the most common songbirds in the USA.

The House Sparrow is one of the most common songbirds in the US. It can be found everywhere, often hunting for food in parking lots or perched on nearby buildings. Sometimes, it will even visit you inside the large box stores.

If you have ever wondered about birdsongs, watch this short, fascinating 3-minute YouTube video. Trust me, you will appreciate the experience.

Question: What is the largest songbird in the world? Answer: The Common Raven! To read more about the Common Raven, check out this page.

Just a side note. The pictures on this page are all males of their species. Females are usually more subdued in coloration to blend in and protect their nesting sites. The males use their coloration to attract females.

Yellow Warbler singing out his heart for love.

The Yellow Warbler has a specific call that warns others that Brown-headed Cowbirds are in the area. Brown-headed Cowbirds are notorious nest parasites for both warblers and blackbirds. Other birds have learned the sound and will rush back to protect their nest. Female Yellow Warblers are good at recognizing foreign eggs in their nest. They will build a new nest on top of the old nest, lay eggs, and start over.

Below the picture carousel, follow the links to the different songbirds featured on this site.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are a relative of the Northern Cardinal. This is a male, females are brown and often confused for Black-headed Grosbeaks. Males incubate the eggs in the daytime and females covers the night shift.

Prothonotary Warbler

The Prothonotary Warbler, often called the Golden Swamp Warbler, got its name from the bright yellow robes worn by prothonotaries or high-ranking clerks in the Roman Catholic Church.

Mountain Bluebird

The cellular structure of Mountain Bluebird feathers bends light, giving them their distinctive blue coloration. Their feathers lack blue pigment.

Baltimore Oriole

The Baltimore Oriole is named for its resemblance to the orange and black colors of Lord Baltimore's coat of arms.

Bobolink

The Bobolink weighs 1-2 ounces but is a long-distance songbird migrant. Bobolinks travel 12,500 miles (20,000 kilometers) to and from southern South America each year.

American Dipper →