Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
THE AMAZON — Welcome to this special edition of “Have You Heard This?” — a rare shoot off from the regular feature of “Have You Seen This?”
We certainly had to rename it today because scientists have recently declared a new “loudest bird in the world,” and it’s a real doozy.
The new champion is the male white bellbird, which dethrones another Amazonian bird called the screaming pihas.
Despite the soft-sounding name, the male white bellbird’s call (as heard in this video) is as loud as a jackhammer, which is about 125 decibels. Let’s just say people who use jackhammers use heavy ear protection for a reason.
According to Science Daily, “The calls are so loud, they wonder how white bellbird females listen at close range without damaging their hearing.”
Perhaps most amazingly of all is that this particular bird only weighs about .5 pounds.
Not only is the bellbird loud, but the actual sound it makes is like a robotic alarm of doom. It makes one wonder if this so-called “bellbird” is actually a production of nature or the beginnings of the inevitable takeover of alien robot overlords.
More Have You Seen This?
Have You Seen This? Halloween Moose may be coming for your pumpkins
You’ve heard of spooky scary skeletons and the Monster Mash, now get ready for the Pumpkin Moose.You can read more about the research methods, current findings and future planned studies of the bellbird at Science Daily and Discover Magazine.
