Loudest Bird

ANSELMO D’AFFONSECA, INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE PESQUISAS DA AMAZONIA

  • EAR-PIERCING CALL: The male white bellbird was named the loudest known bird on Earth.
  • FUN FACT: Unrelated to its loud call, male white bellbirds have a long, fleshy wattle, similar to those of roosters.

Brazil’s Amazon rainforest is home to the world’s loudest known bird. Scientists recently found that the ear-splitting calls male white bellbirds use to attract mates reach 125 decibels. That’s louder than a chain saw and three times noisier than the previous record holder for loudest bird, the screaming piha.

“Usually, when animals make loud sounds, it is for long-distance communication,” says Jeff Podos. He’s a biologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst who helped record the white bellbird’s call. But the bird shrieks at potential mates that are sitting right next to it, he says. “We’re working to figure out why.”

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