There’s something magical about stepping out onto your porch in the early morning, coffee in hand, and hearing the symphony of bird calls filling the air. As an avid birdwatcher for over four decades, I’ve learned that certain distinctive sounds can alert you to the presence of some truly special feathered visitors.

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Here’s what to listen for when you’re enjoying your morning routine.

1. The Distinctive Song of the Wood Thrush

The Wood Thrush has warm reddish-brown upperparts with spotted white underpants. This bird hops on the ground looking for insects and produces a distinctive call like a machine gun.

The Wood Thrush is usually easier to hear than see.

2. The Distinctive “Teacher-Teacher-Teacher” of the Ovenbird

When you hear what sounds like someone calling “teacher-teacher-teacher” with increasing volume, you’ve likely got an Ovenbird nearby. These ground-dwelling warblers are often heard rather than seen, preferring the forest floor where they build their unique oven-shaped nests.

Their presence suggests a healthy forest understory with plenty of leaf litter for foraging.

3. The Rose-breasted Grosbeak’s Whistled Song

If you’re able to whistle, you could probably make a good impression of a rose-breasted grosbeak. Their song sounds similar to a human whistling a tune, albeit with more warbling.

4. The Early Morning Who-cooks-for-you of the Barred Owl

For example, there is the barred owl, which has a distinctive call said to sound like the phrase ‘Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?’.

Barred owls are fairly large.

They sport mottled brown and white plumage that blends well with their surroundings, but even if you don’t see them, you might hear their hoots during the day or night. They sound like they’re asking, “Who cooks for you?”

5. The Sharp Peter-Peter-Peter of the Tufted Titmouse

The Tufted Titmouse whistles a very clear song that sounds like “Peter, Peter, Peter!” They will repeat this sound up to 11 times in a row — about 35 songs per minute! You’re most likely to hear males in the morning, but females will sometimes reply with a softer version of the same song.

6. The Dawn Song of the Hermit Thrush

The Hermit Thrush’s song is a series of clear, musical phrases that spiral upward, often described as ethereal or spiritual. These shy birds are most vocal at dawn and dusk, and their presence suggests you’re near a mature forest with a dense understory.

Their song is so beautiful that it’s been featured in classical music compositions.

7. The Drink-Your-Tea of the Eastern Towhee

In Louisiana, the Eastern Towhee can be found in a variety of habitats, including forests, thickets, and shrubby areas. They prefer areas with dense understory vegetation for foraging and nesting.

During the breeding season, their distinctive “Drink-your-tea!” call can be heard throughout the day. They are ground-dwelling birds that forage for insects, seeds, and berries among fallen leaves and dense vegetation.

Males sing a distinctive “drink-your-tea” song, while both males and females make a sharp “chewink” call that adds a touch of wilderness to the state’s natural symphony.

8. The Complex Song of the Brown Thrasher

The brown thrasher is a bird of many talents, one of which is (you guessed it!) whistling. Its song sounds like a series of trills and warbles, with a few notes that sound like sharp whistles.

The Cornell Lab says the brown thrasher, one of several thrasher species in America, “may be the champion mimic in North America” due to their ability to sing up to 2,000 different songs.

Morning songs to listen for