Clips

See the song

hear the bird first, then meet it

Short videos on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Each one plays a bird's song or call first and shows the bird after a short pause. Here are all the clips so far, newest first, with links to the birds' pages.

  1. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the Brambling, with the line “Sounds like a tiny circular saw far off.”

    Brambling

    Posted

    Silhouette: Maxime Dahirel, CC BY 3.0, via PhyloPic, adapted

  2. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the Yellowhammer, with the line “Sings as if counting out loud.”

    Yellowhammer

    Posted

    Silhouette: Matti Virtala, Public domain mark, via PhyloPic

  3. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the European Herring Gull, with the line “Known for its loud, laughing call.”

    European Herring Gull

    Posted

    Silhouette: Andy Wilson, CC0, via PhyloPic

  4. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the Eurasian Bullfinch, with the line “Calls sound like a small toy trumpet.”

    Eurasian Bullfinch

    Posted

    Silhouette: Ferran Sayol, CC0, via PhyloPic

  5. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the Fieldfare, with the line “Often flocks with redwings in winter.”

    Fieldfare

    Posted

    Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen, CC0, via PhyloPic

  6. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the Northern Raven, with the line “Can mimic sounds, even human speech.”

    Northern Raven

    Posted

    Silhouette: Andy Wilson, CC0, via PhyloPic

  7. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the European Goldfinch, with the line “Climbs thistles to gather their seeds.”

    European Goldfinch

    Posted

    Silhouette: Andy Wilson, CC0, via PhyloPic

  8. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the Bohemian Waxwing, with the line “Calls sound like tinkling silver bells.”

    Bohemian Waxwing

    Posted

    Silhouette: Andy Wilson, CC0, via PhyloPic

  9. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the Eurasian Wren, with the line “Sings in both summer and winter.”

    Eurasian Wren

    Posted

    Silhouette: Anthony Caravaggi, CC0, via PhyloPic

  10. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the Mute Swan, with the line “In flight, its wings whoosh constantly.”

    Mute Swan

    Posted

    Silhouette: Andy Wilson, CC0, via PhyloPic

  11. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the Grey Heron, with the line “Often stands on one leg by the water.”

    Grey Heron

    Posted

    Silhouette: Nina Skinner, CC BY 3.0, via PhyloPic, adapted

  12. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the European Greenfinch, with the line “Sings like winding an old pocket watch.”

    European Greenfinch

    Posted

    Silhouette: Mathieu Pélissié, CC0, via PhyloPic

  13. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the Eurasian Magpie, with the line “Tail often as long as the rest of the body.”

    Eurasian Magpie

    Posted

    Silhouette: Guillaume Dera, CC0, via PhyloPic

  14. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the Eurasian Nuthatch, with the line “Climbs down tree trunks headfirst.”

    Eurasian Nuthatch

    Posted

    Silhouette: robin_24, CC BY 4.0, via PhyloPic, adapted

  15. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the Common Goldeneye, with the line “Courts with a sound like a strummed comb.”

    Common Goldeneye

    Posted

    Silhouette: Andy Wilson, CC0, via PhyloPic

  16. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the Great Spotted Woodpecker, with the line “Drums about 10 to 16 times a second.”

    Great Spotted Woodpecker

    Posted

    Silhouette: Steven Traver, CC0, via PhyloPic

  17. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the Hooded Crow, with the line “Drops mussels from the air to crack them.”

    Hooded Crow

    Posted

    Silhouette: Marie Attard, Public domain mark, via PhyloPic

  18. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the Whooper Swan, with the line “Pairs for life with the same mate.”

    Whooper Swan

    Posted

    Silhouette: Andrew Cho, CC BY 4.0, via PhyloPic, adapted

  19. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the Common Wood Pigeon, with the line “Claps its wings loudly when it takes off.”

    Common Wood Pigeon

    Posted

    Silhouette: Andy Wilson, CC0, via PhyloPic

  20. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the Greylag Goose, with the line “Sounds the alarm at the smallest danger.”

    Greylag Goose

    Posted

    Silhouette: Wouter Koch, CC0, via PhyloPic

  21. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the Common Gull, with the line “Forages for insects on ploughed fields.”

    Common Gull

    Posted

    Silhouette: Ferran Sayol, CC0, via PhyloPic

  22. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the Eurasian Chaffinch, with the line “Its song has regional dialects.”

    Eurasian Chaffinch

    Posted

    Silhouette: Maxime Dahirel, CC BY 3.0, via PhyloPic, adapted

  23. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the European Robin, with the line “Its song ripples like a little brook.”

    European Robin

    Posted

    Silhouette: Anthony Caravaggi, CC0, via PhyloPic

  24. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the Great Tit, with the line “Sounds like a squeaky wheelbarrow.”

    Great Tit

    Posted

    Silhouette: Andy Wilson, CC0, via PhyloPic

  25. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the Common Buzzard, with the line “Its mewing call is often heard in flight.”

    Common Buzzard

    Posted

    Silhouette: Andy Wilson, CC0, via PhyloPic

  26. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the Common Blackbird, with the line “Sings from rooftops just before sunrise.”

    Common Blackbird

    Posted

    Silhouette: Anthony Caravaggi, CC0, via PhyloPic

  27. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the Mallard, with the line “Tips forward to feed underwater.”

    Mallard

    Posted

    Silhouette: Andy Wilson, CC0, via PhyloPic

  28. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the House Sparrow, with the line “Hops on the ground instead of walking.”

    House Sparrow

    Posted

    Silhouette: Andy Wilson, CC0, via PhyloPic

  29. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the Common Crane, with the line “Its trumpeting call carries far.”

    Common Crane

    Posted

    Silhouette: Andy Wilson, CC0, via PhyloPic

  30. The clip's cover: a flock of small birds in the shape of the Eurasian Blue Tit, with the line “Often hangs upside down to find food.”

    Eurasian Blue Tit

    Posted

    Silhouette: Wouter Koch, CC0, via PhyloPic