Slate-colored Solitaire. Photo: Santosh Shanmuga

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What’s your choice for most beautiful bird song?



Frank M. Chapman, a leading ornithologist in the 1880s and the father of the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, knew the songs of many birds. He was Curator of Birds at New York City’s American Museum of Natural History and the author of many books on ornithology. And he conducted field research in Central and South America. So it’s not surprising then that Chapman’s choice for the most beautiful bird song of all comes from the Mexican cloud forest: the Slate-colored Solitaire.



To fully appreciate the song, Chapman suggested that it be slowed so the notes can be heard more clearly.



And sometimes it’s good for us to slow down and listen to our favorite bird song.

See a video of the solitaire at birdnote.org.

Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Slate-colored Solitaire recorded by C.D. Duncan.

Slate-colored Solitaire song at less than half-speed by Kessler Productions.

BirdNote's theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and produced by John Kessler.

Producer: John Kessler

Executive Producer: Chris Peterson

Written by Frances Wood and Chris Peterson

© 2015 Tune In to Nature.org June 2015 Narrator: Michael Stein