Strange Bird !

07/28/2009 - 08:24

Every summer we hear a bird which so far no one has managed to identify. It has a very odd call...... clackety Clack, clackety clack.over and over again.We never see it only hear it. It often calls in the early hours of the morning too. Can anyone identify this bird.

Location

Macerata Province

Marche

Comment

Gail there is a Wildlife group for your strange bird tales.!I would say that this bird is almost certainly a Sardinian Warbler or Occhiocotto (cooked eye) in Italian.This is a common bird that does migrate but also in some areas overwinters .It is a very excitable species and makes the noise you describe when it sees a cat , snake, bird of prey etc. Like most birds in Italy they ( wisely) skulk around in the undergrowth so are quite difficult to see. Wrens make a similar noise but they are much easier to see.

A woodpecker?These birds make a similar noise when in flight,usually between trees

Thank you both. I have checked out the calls on a couple of bird sites and the don't seem to match, there is no melody to this strange birds call. Just a repetative loud clackety clack ? Some friends have suggested it is another animal, like a frog, but I know what the frogs and toads sound like around here...... very noisy

http://www.western-rivers.com/downloads/Magpie%20Chirps.mp3

Thats the strangest magpie I have ever heard.Does it have an american accent or what? There are lots of magpies around my house and they have a much harsher sound

Sorry not these. It literally sounds like two stones being knocked together, but not the Stone Chat, I have checked that.

It literally sounds like two stones being knocked together, . Perhaps its just that - a local scaring the birds away as he goes out to work in the morning

Two stone clicking could be a Warbler alarm call and as someone has already said it is most lightly Sardian or Blackcap. Check those out. Mark

No. Sorry, definately not these !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.scricciolo.com/eurosongs/Dendrocopos.leucotos.wavVery hard to spot, but you can certainly hear them!

I'm going to try and get a recording of Mr Clackety Clack for you all. Will keep you posted.

Could it be a sparrer?? Or lots of them?http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/t/treesparrow/index.asp

Not that either. Much slower, clack...ety.. cl...a...ck Clack...ety cla...ck . Has anyone else heard this ? THINK I AM GOING TO DRIVE EVERYONE NUTS WITH THIS QUESTION!!!!

I think we are way passed that already. Has anyone had Ostrich yet?

Can't wait to hear the recording!Maybe we should donate £2 to the Abruzzo Earthquake Appeal for every wrong guess?http://www.justgiving.com/italy-abruzzo-earthquake/

Silly you. It's not a bird at all. It's your next door neighbour's child reading a book by Luana Rinaldo. Don't believe me - then google Clackety Clack.

http://www.avisoft.com/sounds.htmListen to both Sardinian warbler calls here as they do have a melodious as well as an alarm call!Otherwise it could just be a Jay but these are very easy to see as opposed to the Sardinian Warbler!

Can you record the call ?And put it on you tube?I've downloaded a picture of a Sardinian warbler in my photo gallery!

Not heard it for a couple of days. Will try,

Ciao Gail, lots of good ideas ,do hope the mystery will be solved,I thought it may be a quail, as syllables seemed to fit, as call is heard as "wet your lips, wet your lips", but then you said its like two stones clacking.Could it possibly be a blackcap, ours get very raucous when they see our cats !I'll watch out for recording.