Have You Ever Heard A Starling Beatboxing?
A video featuring European Starlings took the world to storm, amazing viewers with their ability to beatbox.
Meet Dennis and Ernie, two rescue European Starlings:
This charming duo were filmed while vocally battling each other to impress their human caretaker.
Starlings, like many other birds, use bird song to attract a mate or defend their territory. However, European Starlings have a particular talent when it comes to their vocal abilities, and this viral video demonstrates their musical prowess.
Just like Parrots, well-known for their mimicking abilities, Starlings imitate the sounds of other birds, objects and sometimes humans!
Bird-watchers may find it confusing, thinking they hear different birds, only to realize it’s a Starling mimicking those calls. Starlings have been known to confuse passersby with copying the calls of owls, hawks, sheep and even car alarms!
They can remember a large variety of sounds and mix them together into a complex beatbox-style song.
As a result, even the musical genius Mozart appreciated the vocal abilities of the European Starling. He taught his own pet Starling to recite the melodies of his 17th Piano Concerto.
The Video of Birds Beatboxing
Dennis and Ernie demonstrate these vocal skills, blending an assortment of sounds into an electronic-sounding musical mix.
If you listen closely to the video, you will hear Dennis (closest to the camera) saying ‘come on then!’, having learnt the phrase from his human companions.
Other viewers of the video comment on being able to hear ‘message alert tones’ and a ‘small dog barking’ within the birds’ song.
Click here to watch the video of birds beatboxing and let us know what sounds you can hear!
One reply on “Video of Birds Goes Viral: Starlings That Beatbox”
As a lover of birds I find this very interesting