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Using sounds to attract birds is a somewhat controversial topic in the birding world, with varying opinions based on the type of noises being used, where they’re being used, and when they’re being used.

Some feel that noise should never be used to attract birds, while others have some ground rules they’ve set for themselves in the pursuit of bird sightings. In most cases, it’s not illegal to attract birds using sound, but there are some ethical considerations. Let’s lay them out, but first, let’s discuss the difference between using your own voice to attract birds with “pishing” and using your phone to use audio recordings of actual birds.

Key Takeaways

• Ethics and rules matter: Using sounds to attract birds is generally legal but comes with ethical considerations. The American Birding Association recommends limiting the use of audio recordings, especially around vulnerable birds. In National Wildlife Refuges, using such recordings to attract birds is banned.
• Methods differ: Pishing — using your voice to imitate bird sounds — is widely accepted and thought to be less stressful for birds. Playing back bird call recordings, however, may stress birds, particularly males who may mistake the sound for a rival, and should be used cautiously.
• Follow birding etiquette: When using sounds, be considerate. Ask fellow birders if they mind, choose good spots, and keep volume low. Avoid continuous playback to minimize negative impacts on birds and fellow birders.

Sound Recordings vs. Your Voice

Many people use pishing to imitate bird sounds. They’re imitating scolds — alarm calls that may draw other birds out to check on the commotion, and they’re called pishes because, well, they mostly just include a birder making a “pish” noise, though other noises may be mixed in.

When birds hear a pish noise, the idea is that birds will come out and check for predators. It’s most commonly used on elusive birds that hide in thick vegetation, such as warblers.

The National Audubon Society’s Nicholas Lund states that pishing is a “widely accepted practice” that’s different from using recordings of a bird’s song to imitate a rival male, for example. Most would probably agree with that.

The Effect of Sounds on Birds

Herb Wilson wrote for Maine Birds that a male’s bird stress hormones increase after hearing the sound of an intruding male, and agitation increases their metabolism, which requires them to find more food and expend more energy.

As soon as we step out into the field, birding disturbs birds to some extent. We’re walking through their habitat, after all. But if your goal is to alter the behavior of birds as little as possible, using sound may be something you want to avoid, or you may at least want to think about the scenarios and ways in which you use sound to attract birds.

Birds coming out of the trees to check for a predator in response to pishing aren’t going to expend as much energy as a bird getting worked up over a rival male would, and there’s a decent chance they won’t actually be fooled by a human’s mock calls at all.

Forsyth Audubon, a chapter of the National Audubon Society, states that a bird’s hearing “can easily distinguish” that pishing is not real, but may still investigate it. A recording of a bird song or call, on the other hand, may be very difficult for them to distinguish.

So when it comes to using audio recordings, Wilson states that he will “judiciously use playback to attract hard-to-see birds” when leading a group, but never uses them birding alone or in a popular area, because there’s no way of knowing if others are using recordings in the same area.

The American Birding Association, in its code of ethics, does not stand strictly against using audio recordings to attract birds but urges birders to limit their use, with additional considerations given around nesting, breeding, or feeding sites, and for rare, threatened, or endangered birds.

David Allen Sibley, the author of several bird books, including the popular bird guide that bears his name, states that effects on birds from audio devices are “poorly known,” but still urges birders to be aware of their surroundings and use good etiquette when attracting birds by using a device to play sound.

Etiquette and Scenarios That Are Just a Little Different

Sibley states that playing sound continuously, whether walking around or waiting for a bird to come to you, is the kind of activity to be avoided, also mentioning negative impacts on birds are more likely in highly birded areas.

Sibley suggests a few steps to make sure you’re considering what’s best for the birds and other birders before using played-back sound. Among them:

• Ask other birders if anyone objects to the use of audio recordings
• Choose a spot near the target bird’s habitat where it has comfortable perches nearby
• Play the recording quieter than you imagine the bird would be, then stop and listen.

You can read the rest of Sibley’s suggestions here. Among the others is a note that some places strictly forbid using audio playback to attract birds.

When Recording Is Absolutely Not Allowed

On National Wildlife Refuge properties, for example, using audio devices to attract birds clashes with two federal regulations: 50 CFR 27.51 and 50 CFR 27.72.

The former states that “attempting to disturb…any plant or animal on a national wildlife refuge is prohibited” and the latter prohibits “the operation or use of audio devices…so as to cause unreasonable disturbance to others in the vicinity.”

While some might argue that using audio recordings is not a disturbance to other people or birds, using audio recordings to attract birds violates both of these regulations, according to Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge.

What Sounds To Use if You Do Use Sound

So, now that we’ve gotten the ethics conversation out of the way, let’s discuss what sounds to use to attract birds if you decide to do so.

First, pishing is a tool that’s in a lot of experienced birders’ toolboxes, especially those who go out looking for warblers during peak migration each spring. Warblers can be difficult to spot through thick tree branches, so bringing them to the edges of the forest can give birders an advantage.

Sparrows, wrens, and other small birds also may come out to see what the commotion is about, although there’s no guarantee that even the best pishing will result in seeing birds.

So, how do you pish?

I cannot pretend that I am an expert in doing so, and while I’ll send a whistle or two back to a chickadee once in a while, pishing is not something I typically use while out birding.

So with that in mind, I’ll point you to Lund’s advice, which starts with practice, practice, practice. Lund describes it as “an art” similar to shushing people in a library but with a “P” sound in front.

Houston Audubon also provides a good explanation and demonstration, which may give you a better idea of what to do than the written word can.

If your pishing isn’t getting you any results, you likely don’t want to continuously do it while walking through the woods. If you’re not seeing birds, you may just be making noise, which won’t help you see more birds.

There aren’t a lot of other great noises that you can make without the use of audio devices that birds will really respond to. Some, in the pursuit of owls like great horned owls or barred owls, can produce fairly convincing owl calls, but there are ethical considerations there as well.

In Conclusion

If you’re not breaking any rules such as on a wildlife refuge, whether you use your voice, sound recordings, or nothing but your eyes is a matter of personal preference and your own code of ethics.

Hopefully, in reading this article, you’ve started to develop some of your thoughts about the ethics of calling birds with audio recordings. Some may feel that it’s always OK, some will feel it never is, and others will be somewhere in between. I think Forsyth Audubon states it well:

”When in doubt, don’t. When others do not want you to, don’t.”

If you’re using audio recordings, consider a couple of basic tips in etiquette and the birds will be better for it. If you’re using your own voice, most would agree that you’re free to fire away — so get practicing on your pishing.

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