Quick Answer
The white-eared hummingbird (Basilinna leucotis) produces a variety of high-pitched, squeaky vocalizations. Its song is a series of short chirps and squeaks repeated in rapid succession. Both males and females sing, using their calls to defend territories and attract mates. The sharp, metallic twitters of the white-eared hummingbird are distinct from the lower-pitched humming sound produced by the bird’s fast-beating wings.
White-Eared Hummingbird Description
The white-eared hummingbird is a small, compact hummingbird with vibrant green plumage on its head, back, and underside. As its name suggests, it has conspicuous white ear tufts behind its eyes. Other distinctive features include:
- Size: About 3-3.5 inches long
- Wingspan: 4 inches
- Weight: 2-3 grams
- Short black bill
- Males have a brilliant turquoise-blue throat
- Females have lighter green plumage on throat and chest
Native to mountain forests and woodlands in Mexico and Central America, the white-eared hummingbird inhabits elevations between 6,000-9,000 feet. It prefers areas with plentiful flowers and feeding sites.
White-Eared Hummingbird Song and Calls
The vocalizations of the white-eared hummingbird include both songs and call notes. Here are some details on the sounds this bird produces:
Songs
The male’s song is a high-pitched, squeaky series of notes repeated rapidly in a breathless fashion. It is produced during courtship displays for attracting females. The song varies geographically across the species’ range. In general, it consists of a mix of sharp, squealing notes, sounding like ”seet-seet-sur-weet.” The female also sings, producing similar high-pitched vocalizations.
Call Notes
Call notes help maintain contact and signal alarm or aggression. They include:
- Chips: Short, buzzy ”chip” notes used in flight or when perched
- Tweet: A sharp ”tweet” made during disputes over nectar sources
- Squeaks: Harsh squeaking sounds express alarm or anger
Wing Humming
In addition to vocalizations, the wings of hummingbirds produce sound. As they beat their wings up to 70 times per second, the wings produce a loud hum. The pitch varies based on the speed of their wing beats. The white-eared hummingbird adjusts its wing speed while feeding, resulting in changes in pitch.
Purpose of Vocalizations
The white-eared hummingbird uses its diverse vocalizations for:
- Attracting mates
- Defending feeding territories
- Communicating with others at food sources
- Staying in contact with mate
- Signaling distress or aggression
By singing complex songs, male hummingbirds showcase their fitness. Females assess male qualities based on vocalizations when selecting a mate. Both males and females use calls and song to proclaim ownership of choice flowers, chasing away intruders. Vocalizations allow hummingbirds to interact during foraging, resolving conflicts over food access. Pairs also call to establish bonds and maintain awareness of each other’s location.
What Does the White-Eared Hummingbird’s Song Sound Like?
The white-eared hummingbird’s high-pitched vocalizations sound squeaky and metallic to human ears. Here are some descriptions of its song and call notes:
Song
- Short, squealing notes in rapid succession
- Shrill and buzzy quality
- Insect-like trills and chatters
- Machine gun-like delivery of 10+ notes per second
- Very high-pitched, piercing intensity
Listeners often compare the song to the sound of small gears rapidly turning or a tiny, squeaky wheel in need of oil. The sharp, grating quality stands out from lower-pitched warbler songs.
Call Notes
- Harsh ”chip” notes
- Metallic ”tweet” sounds
- Squeaky sounding when agitated
The call notes have a brittle, mechanical quality, like the working parts of a rusty machine. These notes are very brief, lasting less than a quarter-second.
Wing Hum
- Low-pitched hum as wings beat at fast speeds
- Pitch increases as wings move faster
- Resonant, whirring, buzzing quality
The wing hum is deeper and more muted than the vocalizations. It varies from a low rumble to a higher drone as the bird adjusts its wing speed.
Geographic Variation in Song
Across the white-eared hummingbird’s range, from Mexico to Panama, there is some geographic variation in its song. This helps distinguish local populations. Some differences include:
Mexico
In central Mexico, males have a simpler, more monotonous song of repeated single notes. For example, ”seet-seet-seet.”
Guatemala and El Salvador
Birds in these areas produce more complex songs with a mix of doublets and triplets. For example, “seet-seet-sur-weet.” Songs have more changes in pitch and rhythm.
Costa Rica and Panama
In these southern areas, male songs tend to be very buzzy and garbled with extensive modulation. The jumbling together of notes makes the song fast and complicated.
How Does the White-Eared Hummingbird Produce Sound?
Hummingbirds like the white-eared hummingbird have specially adapted vocal anatomy that allows them to sing intricate songs. Here’s an overview of how they produce diverse sounds:
Syrinx
The voicebox or syrinx contains vibrating membranes that modulate airflow from the lungs into specific notes. Muscles adjust the membranes to control pitch and volume. This creates the hummingbird’s squeaky, whistling song.
Rapid Trilling
Extremely fast changes between notes is achieved using minuscule syrinx muscles to tweak the syrinx membranes. This allows notes to be delivered in rapid succession, often 10+ notes per second.
Specialized Feathers
Their small vocal organ is amplified by modified throat feathers that form a dome-shaped sound chamber. This horn-like structure resonates the high-pitched sounds.
Beak Shapes Sound
The long, thin beaks of hummingbirds filter and shape sound waves. As sounds pass through, the beak filters out harmonics and purifies the tone. This accentuates the pure-sounding squeaks and whistles.
Why Do Hummingbirds Vocalize?
Hummingbirds like the white-eared hummingbird vocalize for important reasons related to territory defense and mating:
Attract Females
Male hummingbirds sing complex songs to court females and display their desirability as mates. Females assess male fitness based on vocalizations.
Defend Feeding Areas
Both males and females use call notes and song to claim flower patches and chase away intruders. Vocalizations communicate dominance and ownership.
Interact at Food Sources
Hummingbirds use squeaks and chirps to interact with other birds while feeding. This resolves conflicts over access to nectar sources.
Communicate with Mate
Paired birds vocally keep in contact with mates. This maintains pair bonds and coordinates care for their eggs and young.
Signal Distress
Harsh notes like squeaks and chips vocalize alarm or aggression. This helps warn off predators and communicate defensively.
Unique Adaptations for Song
Several special anatomical adaptations allow hummingbirds like the white-eared hummingbird to produce their unique vocalizations:
Forked Syrinx
Hummingbirds have a forked syrinx, unlike songbirds which have a one-chamber syrinx. The forked, two-part syrinx permits greater control over sound.
Specialized Feathers
Throat feathers form a dome-shaped resonance chamber that amplifies high-pitched sounds the syrinx produces.
Rapid Trilling Muscles
Tiny syrinx muscles contract and relax extremely quickly, enabling hummingbirds to trill notes in rapid succession.
Elongated Beak
The long, thin beak filters and shapes sound waves, producing clear, pure-tone vocalizations.
These adaptations allow hummingbirds to produce some of the most acrobatic bird songs. Their specialized sound-making organs and vocal techniques set them apart from songbirds and other birds.
Similar Species
The unique squeaky vocalizations of the white-eared hummingbird help distinguish it from two other similar green hummingbird species that overlap in parts of its range:
White-bellied Emerald
The white-bellied emerald hummingbird has a louder, ringing, whistled song. Its rising and falling song sounds like ”tseew-sweet.”
Plain-capped Starthroat
The plain-capped starthroat has a buzzier, more nasal song. Its call note is a scratchy ”tsch.”
Recordings of the White-Eared Hummingbird’s Song
To appreciate the full squeaky complexity of the white-eared hummingbird’s vocalizations, listen to these audio recordings:
Example 1 from Mexico
This recording from Cerro San Felipe, Oaxaca, Mexico highlights the simple, repeated single note song of males at this location.
Example 2 from Costa Rica
This example from Monteverde, Costa Rica features a more complex song with extensive buzzy trilling notes.
Example 3 from Panama
Here, a male sings a mix of simple and complex phrases with both single notes and trilled sections. This recording comes from Chiriquí, Panama.
Conclusion
The white-eared hummingbird produces a range of squeaky vocalizations used in courtship displays and communication. Its high-pitched song consists of short chirps, twitters, and whistles delivered in rapid succession, often sounding like a tiny machine. Shrill chips and squeaks serve as call notes. Songs vary geographically, with simpler songs in Mexico and more complex in Costa Rica and Panama. Specialized anatomy like a forked voicebox, elongated beak, and modified feathers enable the unique sounds of the white-eared hummingbird.
