Research published this week in Evolution reports 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. According to an article by Meghan Bartels, the South American bird’s call can reach decibel levels comparable to a chainsaw or jackhammer.
Two other South American species also produce calls described as similarly intense: the white bellbird, a cousin of the bare-throated bellbird, and the red-legged seriema. The research sets out baseline measurements across more than 100 species, but it doesn't declare the bare-throated bellbird definitively the loudest bird.
The measured calls
The bare-throated bellbird’s sound is compared with a chainsaw or jackhammer. That gives readers a sense of the reported intensity, but the article doesn't provide a specific decibel figure. It says the bird’s calls can reach levels comparable to those machines.
The white bellbird is the bare-throated bellbird’s cousin. It can also produce calls that reach comparable decibel levels. The report says the red-legged seriema, another South American species, matches their audible intensity.
Those distinctions define the scope of the findings. The research provides baseline volume measurements for more than 100 bird species, while the report singles out three South American birds for the intensity of their calls. It identifies the bare-throated bellbird as a contender for the loudest known to science; the white bellbird and red-legged seriema match its intensity, rather than earning separate rankings above it.
What the report establishes
The report connects the research to the journal Evolution and describes its measurements as a baseline. It doesn't give further details here about how researchers collected the measurements, which other species they included, or the specific volume readings for individual birds. The chainsaw or jackhammer comparison is the only scale the account provides.
The article also includes a video of a male bare-throated bellbird singing in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest. That named location is the only setting specified for the video; the account doesn't say the other birds were recorded there. It identifies the bird in the footage as male and names the species as the bare-throated bellbird.
The research focuses on bird-call volume. The account names no policy, institution, political dispute, demographic change, or transfer of public authority connected to the findings. It reports baseline measurements across more than 100 species, identifies three South American birds for call intensity, and names the bare-throated bellbird as a contender for the loudest bird known to science.
For a precise decibel reading, the account offers a comparison, not a number. For the central finding, it names the bare-throated bellbird and places its call alongside those of the white bellbird and red-legged seriema in audible intensity. The video shows a male bare-throated bellbird singing in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest.