# Help I.D. Bird Song

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-d-bird-song/355660>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 6, 2006, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-d-bird-song/355660 "2006-05-06T10:48:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Can\_Handle\_the\_Truth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Can\_Handle\_the\_Truth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Can_Handle_the_Truth)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2006, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-d-bird-song/355660/1 "2006-05-06T10:48:34Z")

</div>

I heard a bird this morning that made a sound very much like a [whip-poor-will](http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Whip-poor-will_dtl.html#fig1) except that it was more like “tew-_weet_-ie, tew-_weet_-ie, tew-_weet_” over and over. Anybody have a clue?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2006, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-d-bird-song/355660/2 "2006-05-06T18:29:21Z")

</div>

Yes, that would be [Otis Birdsong](http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/birdsot01.html), formerly of the Kings, Nets and Celtics, four-time all-star. Rarely sighted these days though.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2006, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-d-bird-song/355660/3 "2006-05-06T20:58:27Z")

</div>

Where did you hear this?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2006, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-d-bird-song/355660/4 "2006-05-06T22:34:09Z")

</div>

> [@Xema](#):
>
> Where did you hear this?

Yes, with questions like this it is really helpful for the OP to indicate what continent they are posting from. And what portion of that continent, if possible.  
I often hear [Carolina Wrens](http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i7180id.html) in my neighborhood (I live in Massachussetts). Their song sounds much like your phonetic representation, although apparently there is quite a bit of variation.

They are found over much of the eastern half of the 48 contiguous United States. There is a sample of a typical song on that site I linked to.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Can\_Handle\_the\_Truth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Can\_Handle\_the\_Truth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Can_Handle_the_Truth)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2006, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-d-bird-song/355660/5 "2006-05-07T00:19:32Z")

</div>

> [@Xema](#):
>
> Where did you hear this?

Tampa, Florida, on a small lake, around sunrise.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2006, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-i-d-bird-song/355660/6 "2006-05-07T02:26:07Z")

</div>

The Carolina Wren seems to be widespread in Florida:

[http://myfwc.com/bba/maps/cawr.htm](http://myfwc.com/bba/maps/cawr.htm)

Its call is sometimes represented as sounding like “TEA-kettle, TEA-kettle, TEA-kettle, TEA”