Calls and songs of birds

K.G.H. Munidasa

In the realm of birds, it is the males alone which sing. Amongst the male birds of most species it is a way of proclaiming to their rivals that they have taken possession of a territory, which in our own language should sound, "Here I am, and here I mean to stay."

Another aspect that induces the male birds to sing is to attract a mate. This spell of singing is often interspersed with elaborate courtship displays. Once the mating has taken place and the nest is complete with eggs, the male bird will continue to sing, often hours on end, from a selected perch above the nest with the sitting hen.

Generally, a bird's song comprises a number of bars, and on each bar there may be several notes, similar in strain. A majority of songsters are seen to repeat each note in a bar several times in quick succession, then pause for a few seconds, and change over to the notes in the next bar. Some have favourite notes which they repeat more often than the others. Sometimes, singing duets take place between rival males of the same species. For example, in the mating season male birds of the Jerdon's Chloropsis or the Magpie Robin may be observed engaged in animated duets for long periods from tree tops, hundreds of yards apart. The two chloropses-Jerdon's and the gold-fronted are gifted with marvellous powers of mimicry, which they constantly exercise by imitating the notes of all the small birds in the neighbourhood.

Among the babblers, the Brown-capped Babbler, a species peculiar to the island, may easily be identified by its call note which is repeated ad-nauseam for hours on end, which sounds like prit-tee dear. However, in the breeding season the male is said to sing a quaint, little titing song.

The Ceylon Shama or Long-tailed Jungle Robin is highly acclaimed by birdlovers for its vocal accomplishments, and its natural ability to imitate the calls of other birds. Its loud and far-reaching song is chiefly uttered in the mornings and evenings, often continuing until the darkness has practically fallen.

The Ceylon Blackbird, too has a song with a fine range of notes, which is described by many as very reminiscent of the well-known Blackbird of the English countryside. It is said that during the mating season "our highland forests resound with the chorus of the full-throated singing of several males as each tries to out-do the others." The Ceylon Mountain Thrush or Ceylon Scaly Thrush may be another in the family, which during the same period of the year regales the forest tracts in its domain with a "varied and rapturous singing."

The Ceylon Arrenga or Blyth's Whistling Thrush, a rear resident species confined to the Central Mountain Zone, is said to utter from cover a loud whistling song which has been described as "a delightful performance with a wide range of melodic notes."

The Skylark is reputed the world over for its courtship display and singing in the air. With the approach of the breeding season, the male skylark commences its soaring and singing displays. This is how the bird literature describe the process, "From time to time, throughout the day, the bird springs from the perch on a clod or stone and soars vertically upwards on fluttering wings, singing as it rises higher and higher until almost out of sight. There is remains more or less stationary, on vibrating wings, and continues to pour forth an unbroken stream of spirited, loud, clear and melodious warbling.

This lasts often for over five minutes at a stretch. When it is over, the bird closes its wings and drops like a stone for some distance, then opens them out and flutters a bit, drops lower, and so on by steps until when within a few feet of the ground it shoots off at a tangent and comes to rest near the starting point."

In the breeding season the Bush Larks and the Finch Larks of the family are seen to engage in similar aerial display and singing.

The sunbirds are popular garden birds with very musical notes and remarkable courtship display, as in the case of Loten's Sunbird, The Purple Sunbird, in addition, the male goes into an "eclipse" phase before assuming the full breeding plumage, in which it ensembles the hen for some time.

All members of the Warbler family are by nature secretive and silent most of the year round, but in the mating period a number of them come into prominence by their vocalisaitons, which may carry far. Those, like the Great Reed-Warbler and the Robust Prinia are the most vociferous, being often heard above all others, though their calls can never be called musical.

The Ceylon Bush-Chat is an easy bird to be distinguished by its song which is a brisk, little whistle uttered two or three times with a short break, for prolonged periods, especially during hours of sunshine.

Among our resident flycatchers, quite a number are excellent songsters, gifted with very musical repertoires, but more often than not some of them practise sweet subdued songs, when they are at leisure or resting in cover during the heat of day. The ordinary song of the Tickell's Blue Flycatcher or Ceylon Orange-breasted Blue Flycatcher can be compared to the jingle of a bunch of keys, but often it used to utter a subdued song towards dusk or when the weather is gloomy.

Local bird-lovers appear to be in disagreement over which bird should be awarded the title of "Best Songster". Some are in favour of the Eastern Skylark, and others the Ceylon Blackbird, while many stand for the Southern Magpie Robin or its relative the Ceylon Shama. Meanwhile, some argue that the Ceylon Mountain Thrush in full song cannot be equalled by any other resident bird.

Late R.L. Spittel, who has dubbed the Magpie Robin the Island's Master Singer writes of its song as follows: "With the first gleam of day he trills a drowsy note or two, then settles to a theme which eventually gathers power, and soon the dawn is hailed with a torrent of song. His repertoire is unlimited, he is changeful as becomes his caprice. Does he happen on a stave to his liking, he recaptures it repeatedly, then, suddenly tiring, breaks away to another air. He pipes rapturously, on and on, with wondrous disregard, now loud and exultant, now languorous and low." (Wild Ceylon 1945)