This is an advanced-level comparison group of robin-like bird songs and sounds from Land Birds of North America, Eastern/Central region.
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American Robin
Song
Extended songs in caroling rhythm with short sets of separate phrases broken by distinct pauses; each set commonly ends in a higher, more trilled phrase. Tanager, grosbeak, and vireo songs usually shorter. Cheer-up, cheerily, cheer-up, cheerily, cheer-up, cheer-up, cheerily.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Song
More pure-toned and continuous than American Robin; like a robin that took singing lessons.
Scarlet Tanager
Song
Burrier, shorter, and more continuous than American Robin. Slower and more continuous than Summer, usually with one or two notes per phrase.
Summer Tanager
Song
Burrier and more continuous than American Robin. Faster and with more distinct pauses than Scarlet; usually three or four notes per phrase.
Red-eyed Vireo
Song
Higher, less varied than American Robin with longer breaks between phrases. Here-I-am, way-up-here, high-in-the-tree, can-you-see-me?
Recordings copyright 2011-2012 Macaulay Library, all rights reserved. All photos (except as noted) copyright 2011-2012 Brian E. Small, all rights reserved. Summer Tanager: Copyright Cameron Rognan. American Robin: Licensed under Creative Commons by Dori (dori@merr.info). Song texts copyright 2011-2012 Larkwire, LLC., all rights reserved.