Story

'Current Biology' Identifies the World's Loudest Bird

October 21, 2019 | Here and Now
By
Daniel Grossman
Mario Cohn-Haft, an ornithologist at Brazil's National Institute of Amazonian Research, on a field trip a few hours northeast of Manaus, the Amazon's largest city. Image by Daniel Grossman. Brazil, 2019.

Mario Cohn-Haft, an ornithologist at Brazil's National Institute of Amazonian Research, on a field trip a few hours northeast of Manaus, the Amazon's largest city. Image by Daniel Grossman. Brazil, 2019.

Mario Cohn-Haft, shown her holding the the male white bellbird that he captured, and Jeff Podos have proven that the bell bird's song is louder than a pile driver. Image by Daniel Grossman. Brazil, 2019.

Mario Cohn-Haft, shown her holding the the male white bellbird that he captured, and Jeff Podos have proven that the bell bird's song is louder than a pile driver. Image by Daniel Grossman. Brazil, 2019.

A paper published Monday in the journal Current Biology identifies the world's loudest bird.

The white bellbird woos its mate with an ear-splitting, two-toned clang.

Reporter Daniel Grossman (@grossmanmedia) visited with one of the paper's authors in the Brazilian Amazon.