Full Breakdown
Record-Breaking Bird Calls Unveiled by New Study
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Findings of the UMass Amherst Research
On September 29, 2026, researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst announced that the bare-throated bellbird (*Procnias nudicollis*) and the red-legged seriema (*Cariama cristata*) produce the loudest known avian vocalizations. Field measurements recorded the bellbird’s call at roughly 131 decibels, while the seriema’s calls exceed 120 decibels—levels comparable to a jet taking off or a chainsaw. The team surveyed 123 bird species, of which 113 had never before been catalogued for sound amplitude. The softest recorded bird, a little hummingbird, sang at 64 decibels, similar to normal human conversation.
Methodology and Data Collection
Researchers João C.T. Menezes and Jeff Podos used portable sound meters paired with laser rangefinders to capture bird calls in their natural habitats across Brazil’s Serra do Mar mountains and broader eastern South America. By measuring distance and sound pressure simultaneously, they ensured accurate decibel readings despite varying proximities to the birds. The extensive dataset revealed a broad spectrum of vocal amplitudes across the sampled species.
Anatomical Correlates of Extreme Loudness
The study identified two physical traits linked to the highest sound levels: larger body size and wider beak openings. Menezes explained that bigger birds can generate greater air compression, producing more explosive volume, while broader beaks facilitate rapid airflow. However, the data did not yet clarify why such loudness would confer ecological or evolutionary advantages.
Significance for Ornithology
These findings fill a major gap in avian acoustic knowledge, expanding amplitude data from a handful of species to over a hundred. The researchers emphasize that field-based observation remains essential for uncovering functional traits that laboratory or internet-derived data cannot reveal. Future work will test hypotheses about the ecological roles of extreme vocal output.
Verbatim Quotes
- “They can even exceed elephants and lions and wolves and bison,” — João Menezes — João Menezes, evolutionary biologist and lead author of the study.