FAMILY CORVIDAE
Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)
a. A quick, loud shook-shook-shook or shack-shack-shack or wheck--wek--wek--wek--wek (P).
Almost sounds like a machine gun.
Example 1, example 2, example 3.
b. A kwesh kwesh kwesh (P).
Slower than call (a), very coarse.
Example 1. Example 2 with both calls (a) and (b). Example 3 from northern Oregon.
Example 4: two Steller's Jays mobbing a Cooper's Hawk with call (a) and (b).
c. A scratchy kwaayr kwaayr, often given in 2s or 3s. Example, ending with call (a) above.
d. Can be quite a vocalizer. Other calls include a more throaty, squeaky call (recorded in Big Bear Mountains of southern California).
e. Occasionally forms temporary and highly vocal "flash mobs," giving higher-pitched squeal calls as well as the regular calls. The purpose of these mob aggregations and vocalizations is uncertain. Example (recorded in Big Bear Mountains of southern California).
f. Frequently mimics Red-tailed Hawk and Golden Eagle (P). Example 1. Example 2.
The Red-tailed Hawk imitation is very good, but sometimes call often has a "flip" or a fast high-pitched
note at the end, which is absent in the hawk's call (but this is also absent in the above examples from northern Oregon).
g. A repeated, single-note "piping" call, given independently or sometime mixed with the "Red-tailed Hawk"
imitation call, above. Example 1.
Calls low-pitched, raucous, varied, often in series of 3 (R).
Calls carry 300-400 m in forested areas, much further in open.
Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens)
a. Rough rasping notes: kwesh...kwesh (P).
b. A harsh check-check-check-check (P).
A very harsh, often-repeated ike-ike-ike, with slight upward inflection (F).
Rough, rapidly repeated quick-quick-quick (F).
c. A rasping shreek or shrink (P).
A loud throaty jayy? or jree? (U).
Loud, rough, slightly metallic, sharply rising iennk (F).
A harsh her-week (L).
These notes have a rising inflection.
d. Occasionally, a repeated clacking sound, klika-klika-klika...
Calls generally higher-pitched than Steller's Jay and often in ones or twos (R).
Common Raven (Corvus corax)
a. A croaking cr-r-ruck or prruck (P).
Kraaak (U).
Krawk, krawk (L).
Very hoarse, low-pitched, croaking notes: crock and quak (F).
b. A kloo-klok, usually in flight (U).
A hollow, wooden knocking sound.
c. A metallic tok (P).
Calls include a variety of other sounds.
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
a. A loud caw or cah or kahr, easily imitated (P).
A distinctive caw (R).
Given singly or in series (F).
Calls not as hoarse as those of the Common Raven's (U).
Young often sound more nasal (F), and higher-pitched (N).
FAMILY PARIDAE
Chestnut-Backed Chickadee (Parus rufescens)
a. A tsick-i-see-see or zhee-che-che, hoarser than Black-Capped's (P).
A harsh chicka-dee-dee-dee.
A harsh, sibilant shik-zu-zee (F).
b. A harsh zee or zze-zze (P).
Last one or two notes of call (a) above.
c. A fast sk-dip sk-dip sk-dip, not as hoarse or buzzy as above calls.
d. Begging call: a high-pitched, clearer, fast series of notes, given as a slow trill. Suggests Golden-Crowned Kinglet or Brown Creeper notes, but lacks the tonal clarity of either.
e. Song: a clear, whistled dee-dee-dee-dee-dee on a descending pitch.
Calls are generally hoarse (except call "d") and rapid, each note of short duration, the series lasting only a few seconds.
Mountain Chickadee (Parus gambeli)
a. A tsick-a-zee-zee-zee, huskier than Black-Capped's (P) or Chestnut-Backed's.
A hoarse, chick-a-zee-zee-zee (U).
A hoarse chick-a-dee (F).
Slower, more nasal than Chestnut-backed Chickadee's, as zicka-dya, dya, dya (L).
Also huskier than Chestnut-Backed Chickadee's.
b. Song: three high, clear whistled notes, fee-bee-bee, first note highest, next two on same pitch; or 3-4 notes descending the scale in half tones (P,U), as in "Three Blind Mice." Song typically consists of 3 descending notes, whereas that of Black-capped has only 2.
Black-capped Chickadee (Parus atricapillus)
Occasional in the Klamath Mountains.
a. A clearly enunciated chick-a-dee-dee-dee or dee-dee-dee (P).
Black-capped's call is a lower, slower version of chick-a-dee-dee-dee than Carolina's (N).
Deeper, hoarser than Chestnut-backed's. Different cadence than Mountain's.
b. Late summer calls can be given as abbreviated notes. Example.
c. Song: In spring a clear whistle: fee-bee, 1st note higher (P). Second example.
Typical song, a clear, whistled fee-bee or fee-bee-ee, the first note higher in pitch (N).
Whistled song is easily imitated; second note is 1 full tone lower, 16-23/min (R).
Also does a longer, nearly monotonic series of 5-8 notes (n.w. Oregon): example.
FAMILY AEGITHALIDAE
Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus)
a. Insistent light tsit's, lisp's, and clenk's (P).
Light tsip and pit notes (U).
High, thin sis "fussing" notes, with an insistent quality; sometimes slurred together, lisplisplisp...
Single or double, high, sharp tseet or tsip notes given frequently while foraging (F).
Nearly always in a flock.
Late summer calls can seem softer, more lethargic. Example.
b. Alarm call: a high trill (U).
Flocks crackle with combined calls; these notes strung together when birds are alarmed or singing during breeding season (F).
Calls carry poorly, mostly 50 m or less.
FAMILY SITTIDAE
White-Breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)
a. A nasal yank (P).
A low yank-yank.
Call typically repeated. Not quite as nasal as Red-Breasted Nuthatch's.
b. A nasal tootoo (P).
A low mellow too, too, too (L).
c. Nasal awh, awh notes, single or given in a slow series; sounds like a distant, soft crow's call. Higher-pitched than call b.
Another example.
d. Song: a series of low, nasal, whistled notes on the same pitch, whi,whi,whi,whi,whi,whi, or who,who,who, etc. (P).
In spring, a series of low, rapid notes, to-what what what what (F).
All except call "c" carry well, up to 250 m.
Red-Breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)
a. A nasal ank or enk, like a "baby" nuthatch or "tiny tin horn," higher and more nasal than that of White-Breasted (P).
Repetitive, nasal ahn, anh or yank yank yank, slightly softer and faster than White-Breasted's, 70-90/min.
b. Scold: as above, but faster, notes more abbreviated, harsher, 100-120/min.
An endless kit-kit-kit-kit, alarm notes (L).
c. Feeding notes: light twittering notes, with a musical "nuthatch" quality.
Calls "a" and "b" may carry well, up to 250 m; call "c" carries very poorly, 30 m at most.
FAMILY CERTHIIDAE
Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)
a. A single high thin seee (P,R).
A single, double, or triple ssee, high and thin, almost a pure tone.
b. Feeding notes: very light twittering notes, similar in quality to "a" above, but shortened, and softer.
c. A series of notes given in rapid succession, tee-tee-tee-tee-tee, like a small bell ringing.
d. Song: a thin, sibilant see-ti-wee-tu-wee or see-see-see-sisi-see (P).
A clear, very high-pitched seee seee see-o-whee see-o-wheet; pattern variable, but usually with two single notes at beginning.
Song, a weak lisping series of several pitches, such as tsee- tsee-tsee-ti-ti-tsee, not cascading downward like that of the Golden-Crowned Kinglet's, but clearer and louder (L).
Calls may be confused with those of the Golden-Crowned Kinglet. Some hints: creeper call is often doubled (first two notes of song given as call), similar to double "beeps" of electronic digital watches; often more forceful than Kinglet's, and greater in volume; with a "piercing" quality, generally of clearer tone than Kinglet's.