Research published this week in Evolution provides baseline volume measurements for more than 100 bird species and names the bare-throated bellbird as a contender for the loudest bird known to science. The South American bird’s calls can reach decibel levels comparable to a chainsaw or jackhammer.
What the Measurements Show
The bare-throated bellbird isn’t the only bird in the report associated with that volume. Its cousin, the white bellbird, can also produce calls at decibel levels comparable to those of a chainsaw or jackhammer, according to the research. The red-legged seriema, another South American species, matches their audible intensity.
The study gives baseline volume measurements for more than 100 bird species. The supplied report doesn’t provide individual decibel readings, explain how researchers took the measurements, or rank every species they measured. It calls the bare-throated bellbird a contender for the loudest bird known to science, rather than saying the research established it as the single loudest.
The chainsaw and jackhammer comparison conveys the reported intensity. But it supplies no numerical reading for any of the birds or tools. The report names three species in connection with that sound level: the bare-throated bellbird, the white bellbird and the red-legged seriema. It describes the first two as cousins and identifies all three as South American species.
What the Report Covers
The research centers on bird-call volume. The account says it provides baseline measurements across more than 100 species, then highlights the bellbirds and seriema for their audible intensity. It doesn’t say how many measured species produced calls comparable to industrial tools or give measurements for each of the three birds named.
Meghan Bartels wrote the article, which includes a video of a male bare-throated bellbird singing in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest. The video identifies the bird as male and gives its location, but it doesn’t say the recording contains a decibel measurement. The volume findings come from the research published in Evolution.
The supplied report contains no figures on money made from the research, workers affected, government action, organized resistance or proposed reforms. It describes measurements and species, not an economic or labor dispute. It also offers no account of ownership, commercial use or policy tied to the findings.
The central result is a set of baseline volume measurements covering more than 100 bird species, alongside three South American birds whose calls reach comparable audible intensity. The bare-throated bellbird is presented as a contender for the loudest bird known to science. The white bellbird and red-legged seriema also reach levels comparable to a chainsaw or jackhammer. No more precise ranking or decibel figure appears in the supplied account.