As threatened I captured the
currawong early-morning song on tape this morning. I heard it about
430 am and after an attempt to get it through the open window I took to
the street with the tape recorder. It must have been a curious
sight with me in ugg boots and boxer shorts pointing a black mike at the
earnestly carolling bird, the hunched shape of the roosting street peacock a
few metres away with its great train angling down, the whole lit by the cheery
glow of a street lamp.
I am sure many of you early-wakers
would recognise the ‘song’ if you heard it. The
applicable adjectives are ‘monotonous’ and ‘complaining’.
The second syllable, heard at close range, is a soft guttural ‘kronk’,
which the bird makes while stretching its neck and distending its throat.
Thus: ‘kwa (kronk) wheeer’, the last being a prolonged slurred
whistle. If pressed for a verbalisation, I might offer ‘what
no beer’.
The bird sang for perhaps 5
minutes, then flew to another tree and began again, the whole performance being
over by 5am.
Of course there is no guarantee
this is what John heard. However it has been an interesting exercise, and
I might have got something that can be used in a collection somewhere.
From: Geoffrey Dabb [
Sent: Wednesday, 10 October 2007 2:41 PM
To:
Subject: FW: [canberrabirds] early morning bird call
Re the below, I spoke to Tony at
the parrot talk at NLA today. He was the voice editor for that entry in
HANZAB. It seems that little more has been published, or indeed is known,
about the territorial song of the Pied Currawong. Incidentally the
form of citation eg ‘(T. Howard)’, unreferenced, under the HANZAB
convention indicates an unpublished personal observation.
From: Geoffrey Dabb [
Sent: Wednesday, 10 October 2007 10:27 AM
To: 'Canberra Birds'
Subject: RE: [canberrabirds] early morning bird call
Fascinating. I must tread carefully here, because I
could be on completely the wrong track. I had assumed, without verifying
it, that the regular early morning call in the breeding season, that I would
render 'whit-hoyeeee', was by the Pied Currawong, a pair of which nest on the
nature strip. This call is given in succession, monotonously, for a
minute or so.
There is no reference to this call in Pizzey (it is not
the 'long wolf-whistle "weeeoooo"') nor, I think, the same call
rendered by Slater as 'whistling "oo-ooooo" like disapproving
schoolgirl').
HANZAB devotes 17 column-cms to the call of the PC
but only 5 to the 'song'. Tony Howard is cited on the song, but the reference
does not appear in the notes. It is stated 'does not sound like other
vocalisations of this species and may not be recognised as given by
currawongs'. The following (Tony cited) seems relevant: 'Near
Sydney, at c.04:45 in early Oct., a song rendered kwee, kooweee (with
the koo very short) uttered at regular intervals in a long
sequence.’
Here’s a nice touch: HANZAB says
“Usually uttered at first light or earlier (of six occurrences, three
started during nautical twilight and two during astronomical twilight)
...” Get those chronometers synchronised out there!
I didn’t realise it was so little known. If
it’s still going on, I might try to get a recording of it.
-----Original Message-----
From: Ann Howarth [
Sent: Wednesday, 10 October 2007 9:08 AM
To: John Leonard; Canberra Birds
Subject: early morning biurd call
I have been hearing a similar early morning call between
4 and 4.30 am here
in Isaacs in recent days. After a few minutes it
has been replaced by the
more familiar 'whistle' call of the pied currawong.
I had wondered whether
it was just an early morning 'warm-up' call or whether it
was perhaps a
young currawong.
Ann Howarth
