Nature Example
View Source →
🎵

Bird Song

You can hear this difference in UK birds.

Singing Robin
Singing Robin
Black Bittern calling, Warriewood Wetlands, New South Wales
Black Bittern calling, Warriewood Wetlands, New South Wales
Goldcrest singing and showing off its crest
Goldcrest singing and showing off its crest

The Robin:

A robin is small, so its voice box (called a syrinx) is also small. It makes very fast, short vibrations, which create a high-pitched, warbling song.

The Bittern:

A bittern is a large, chunky bird that hides in reed beds. To make its call, it gulps in air and "booms" it out. This creates a very big, slow vibration, resulting in a deep, low-pitched "booom" sound that can be heard from miles away.

💡 Fun Facts

  • A bittern's boom is so low-pitched it sounds like someone blowing over the top of a giant milk bottle.
  • The tiny Goldcrest, one of the UK's smallest birds, has one of the highest-pitched songs—so high that some older people can't hear it!
  • In general, smaller objects vibrate faster and make higher-pitched sounds (like a triangle), while larger objects vibrate slower and make lower-pitched sounds (like a big drum).