Two New Birds Louder Than Jackhammers Just Dropped

Researchers report that the bare-throated bellbird and the red-legged seriema produce calls exceeding 120 decibels, putting them alongside the white bellbird as the loudest known birds on Earth - louder than a chainsaw or jackhammer. Measurements across 123 species show these three occupy a distinct high-amplitude tier well above the next loudest, the screaming piha (~116 dB). Differences in recording methods and individual variation prevent declaring a single definitive loudest species, but the finding expands the roster of ultra-loud avian vocalists and provides the first clear amplitude values for dozens of species.

The team overcame longstanding field challenges by using laser rangefinders to correct for distance and industrial sound level meters to capture amplitude, enabling reliable cross-species comparisons. Larger body size and wider beak openings characterize the loudest singers, but extreme loudness arises in different ecological contexts - dense-forest, polygamous bellbirds versus open-habitat, monogamous seriema - showing multiple evolutionary routes to high amplitude. Researchers suggest a terrestrial ceiling around 120-125 dB and expect more species to join that category, while future work will probe which ecological and morphological factors truly drive extreme vocal amplitude.