Voice of the Wild

Wildlife is all around us. Join Voice of the Wild every Friday to explore a new wild song. From time to time, we’ll also do a deep dive into wildlife science, news, and natural history. Subscribe for email updates at go.illinois.edu/SubscribeVoiceofWild.
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Latest Episode

Warbling vireo (Vireo gilvus). 

The plain vireo with a happy, jumbled song. 

Episode 9: Eastern Meadowlark – Voice of the Wild

Learn the song and call of the Eastern meadowlark (Sturnella magna). 

This yellow-fronted bird with a black V on its chest often sings from fence posts and power lines. It’s fairly common anywhere grasses have been spared regular mowing. It nests on the ground...

Episode 8: Red-Eyed Vireo – Voice of the Wild

Learn the song and call of the Red-eyed vireo (Vireo olivaceus). 

A key member of the summer orchestra, you’ll hear this common gray and olive bird on nearly every hike. It sings throughout the day, every day, seemingly every minute. Uttering short little...

Episode 7: Common Yellowthroat – Voice of the Wild

Learn the song and call of the Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas). 

This big witchity-witchety song, often heard in tallgrass prairies and open marshes, comes from a little chunky warbler with a yellow throat and black mask. Males call out all summer long...

Episode 21: Periodical Cicadas – Voice of the Wild

(Note: this episode was originally published in May 2024 as a bonus episode and was re-published in September 2024 as a regular episode.  In the future, chorus and other group-ID episodes will be published as regular episodes while bonus episodes will be reserved for storytelling.)
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Episode 6: Yellow Warbler – Voice of the Wild

Learn the song and call of the Yellow warbler (Setophaga petechia). 

You might find this little yellow bird in a stand of willows next to a pond or hear its call while walking past the shrubby edge of a creek. Its song is an anthem of the early summer and it’s...

Episode 5: Eastern Towhee – Voice of the Wild

Learn the song and call of the Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus). 

A flash of black and white in a low brush pile is likely to be this robin-sized sparrow, and if you see a pair arresting dark red eyes peeking out from that dense tangle, you’ll know for...

Bonus: American Sycamore – Voice of the Wild

Headphones on! In our first bonus episode we won’t be hearing an animal’s song and learning its voice. Instead, we’ll be giving voice to a tree. We’ll be hearing about Platanus occidentalis, the American Sycamore, and it starts with a walk through the woods… 

Do...

Episode 4: Yellow-throated Warbler – Voice of the Wild

Learn the song and call of the Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophaga dominica) 

This bird is an early migrant and it often serenades the spring ephemerals from the tops of sycamores. It likes the tall trees of the bottomlands and its song is clear and graceful even...

Episode 3: Palm Warbler - Voice of the Wild

Learn the song and call of the Palm warbler (Setophaga palmarum). 

It's easy to get a look at this warbler as it prefers to mingle in mixed flocks on the ground. You might mistake it for a sparrow at first, but it bobs its tail as it forages and it has yellow on...

Episode 2: Northern Parula - Voice of the Wild

Learn the song and call of the Northern Parula (Setophaga americana).

This bird forages at the top of the canopy so it can be hard to spot. Luckily, it's easy to hear. It calls with gusto, often ending an ascending trill with a loud hiccup. Getting a close look at...

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Keywords
Wildlife
Birds
Native Plants
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