This sort of sounds like an owl, doesn't it?

But even though this bird sounds like an owl, it's not.

But even though this bird sounds like an owl, it's not.

It's not.

It's actually a band-tailed pigeon, a case of mistaken identity.

Most owls have calls far more complex than who, who?

Listen to this Bard owl.

Mm-hmm, hoo-hoo-hoo.

Here's another pair of songs that could confuse you.

The American Robin, and the black-headed Grosbeak.

Some say the Gros beak sounds like a drunken robin. Here it is again.

Now if a bird were named for its song, this bird would probably be called a Phoebe.

But it isn't. It's a black-capped chickadee.

It's the call for which the chickadee got its name. There is a real bird named

a Phoebe. This eastern Phoebe says its name too, but the song is not nearly as plaintive as that

of the chickadee. And then there's the mockingbird. It sounds like everybody else. But more about the mockingbird another day.

Listen to all these songs and calls again at our website,

Birdnote.org.