Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 4 hrs ago
Two bird species join contenders for the loudest call
Biologists measured the calls of 123 bird species in the wild in Massachusetts and Brazil between late 2018 and early 2025.
They identified the bare-throated bellbird and red-legged seriema as new contenders alongside the white bellbird, which had previously held the loudest-bird title.
Calls from all three species passed 120 decibels, with brief peaks reaching about 127 to 131 decibels.
The bare-throated bellbird had the highest individual readings, while the seriema had the highest average among the birds measured.
Such sound levels can damage human hearing, and researchers said the loudest call carried more than 800 times the sound pressure of the quietest.
Across the species studied, larger birds and wider beak openings tended to be louder, though the team did not find clear support for its ideas about why loudness evolved.
The study measured volume for many more species than earlier research, but it does not settle which bird is definitively the loudest.
Biologists identified the bare-throated bellbird and red-legged seriema as new contenders for the loudest bird.
The team measured calls from 123 bird species in the wild.
Individuals of three species, including the white bellbird, produced calls above 120 decibels.
Bigger birds and birds with wider beak openings tended to produce louder calls.
The researchers said their ideas about why loudness evolved were not clearly supported.
- Who
- Biologists João C. T. Menezes and Jeffrey Podos led the research.
- What
- They measured calls from 123 bird species and identified two new contenders for the loudest bird.
- When
- The recordings were made between late 2018 and early 2025. The article was published on October 18, 2026.
- Where
- The team recorded birds in Massachusetts and Brazil.
- Why
- The researchers examined bird-call loudness and how it relates to physical traits. Their ideas about why loudness evolved were not clearly supported.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The white bellbird’s loudness record was set by Podos and a Brazilian colleague.
The team recorded birds in Massachusetts and Brazil.
Earth.com published the study’s findings on 123 bird species.
- Species measured
- 123
- Top call peaks
- About 127 to 131 decibels
- Quietest species measured
- Dusky-throated hermit, about 64 decibels
- New contenders
- Bare-throated bellbird and red-legged seriema
- Highest single readings
- Bare-throated bellbird
- Highest average among measured individuals
- Red-legged seriema
What people are saying
You have to get your boots on the ground.
Perhaps the closest comparison would be standing near a jackhammer – and there’s a reason why people working with those wear ear protection!