Welcome to "Intermezzo" — where we take a few minutes to bounce some ideas around about classical music.
Christy L’Esperance and her cohost Andrew explore the science behind acoustic resonance and how creatures of different sizes can make powerful sounds.
You might think that all loudest animals in the world be massive — like elephants or whales. But think again. Scientists have discovered that one of the most deafening animals is a bird.
The white bellbird is the loudest bird in the world. It's capable of screeching calls reaching 125 decibels, which is similar to the loudness of a rock concert. Listen to the 30 second clip below:
How can a tiny bird be heard from just as far away as a huge elephant? Why is it so loud?
It's because of acoustic resonance plus the bizarre biology of certain bird species.
The white bellbird inflates vocal sacs in their throats with air. These sacs then vibrate and act like echo chambers. Sound waves bounce around inside until the bird releases a crazy full-throated bird call.
And because we all notice birds, composers turn them into music. Antonio Vivaldi wrote this flute concerto inspired by birdsong called “The little goldfinch.” Here's a sample:
After listening to bird calls and music for flute, Christy asks Andrew: "Would you rather sing like a bird, play the flute like Vivaldi’s goldfinch or be a world-class whistler?"
Andrew goes with whistling. What's your answer?
** Web Bonus **
Animals use sounds in many different ways from communication, to echolocation and even as a weapon. Here's a ranking of the 10 loudest animals. The white bellbird is heard at 1:04.
Hear today's full episode by clicking "Listen" above and if you know the answer to today's question, text the answer to 833.490.4718. By texting your answer, you agree to receive follow-up messages from IPR.
Christy L'Esperance is the host and producer of Intermezzo.
Thanks to our cohost Andrew.
Scott Clemens is IPR's Digital Content Producer.
