Which bird sings a loud "pretty bird, pretty bird, pretty bird" song?

by Bobbie
(Upstate New York)

I'm unable to see the bird or even decide which in which tree it's sitting. It has a bold voice. It's song sounds like it's saying "pretty bird, pretty bird, pretty bird", followed by a metallic sound. It's a very pretty song. I'm new to birding, so I'm not sure how to describe it. I've listened online to about twenty songs of birds that live in or near my yard in Upstate New York, in the foothills of the Adirondacks. We live in a small development in a rural area. Lots of pine, oak, some white birch and lots of ornamental fruit trees planted by residents. My back yard backs up to a forever wild area (forest) that is part of the Albany Pine Bush protected area. We're not close to a river, pond or creek.The nearest water sources are a small pond about one mile away, and a creek about two miles away. Thanks for any help you might provide.

Comments for Which bird sings a loud "pretty bird, pretty bird, pretty bird" song?

Click here to add your own comments

May 21, 2017

Identified ! NEW
by: tia

Visiting Tennessee , heard it and watched it , by everyone comment we googled for a pic of a brown thrasher and bam there it was !

Apr 24, 2017

Cardinal NEW
by: Anonymous

I'm in North Geogia I heard the call,but I thought it was pretty girl pretty girl tweet tweet tweet. It did take a few minutes to locate him. It was a very beautiful male cardinal, it's his mating call. Took him about 5 minutes to attract her attention. He pecked the ground did a little dance. She did the same dance above him on a tree stump. They flew off together. 💕💕💕

Apr 14, 2017

Pretty bird NEW
by: Steve

We live in ohio. We don't get cardinals to often. If we did we would see the bird clearly. So I'm thinking sparrow is correct

Jan 24, 2017

Male Cardinal NEW
by: Anonymous

Just posted a few minutes ago and have seen the bird. It is a male Cardinal with actually about four different calls.

Jan 24, 2017

Lower Alabama NEW
by: Anonymous

We snowbird to Elberta, Alabama for six months in the winter from Tawas, Michigan. We have Cardinals that say the birdie, birdie, birdie up north, but there is a bird down here in LA that says a definite
burr-ee-toe, burr-ee-toe, burr-ee-toe; with emphasis on the ee. Sometimes; after about a ten minute repeat of the burr-ee-toe it goes into birdie, birdie, birdie; so I'm guessing it's a Cardinal varying it's calls to attract maybe a mate.

Sep 21, 2016

pretty bird, pretty bird and other songs NEW
by: deb

Here I am in a back country area of southern California in late September and the last 2 days have heard this bird singing a variety of pretty songs including the pretty bird song with 3 long tweets? after pretty bird twice. It must be pretty shy as when I try to get close it stops. Sure am curious as to what kind it is. :)

Aug 13, 2016

Pretty bird
by: Anonymous

I just heard a bird sing "pretty bird, pretty bird, tweet, tweet, tweet. It was as clear as day. I am in northern Indiana. Is it sparrow or cardinal?

Aug 07, 2016

Northern New York
by: Linda

I too have been wondering what kind of bird makes that song. I describe it as 'pretty, pretty bird'. Like others I can't see what bird is making the sound in the full trees around my house. Would love to know.

Jun 08, 2016

Follow-up to June 8, 2015
by: Anonymous

Wow - a year since I posted my question. I am thinking my mystery "pret-ty biiir-dy" might be a lark sparrow. It's the closest I've found on my iBird Canada app, anyway. (The iBird series are really good, if anyone's looking for one. I tested the free version but then happily paid for the full version.)

Wish there was a way to post sounds here!

Jun 08, 2016

Pretty Bird revisited
by: Anonymous

Interesting how many people report hearing the "Pretty Bird" song.

We hear it in the Pacific Northwest, specifically the south Oregon coast. No cardinals here, but we do have an abundance of the mentioned Gold Crowned Sparrow, in fact a large variety of sparrows; not sure about Brown Thrasher.

Jun 08, 2016

Abbreviated "Pretty Bird" Song, Knoxville, Tennessee
by: Mr. Reader

This morning, I heard a bird singing an abbreviated version of the "Pretty Bird" song that I noted on this page back on May 7, 2016. The notes of the song were the same today, but it was consistently missing a syllable. The standard song sounds like "Prett-y Bird" and the abbreviated song sounds like "Prett Bird." Both of these songs end with the chirp that could be described as metallic. As an amateur, I don't know how often or why bird songs get altered this way.

While we're at it, it could be that the "Tweety Bird" song that Boo Heisey described here on June 2, 2016 is the same as the "Pretty Bird" song that some of us are describing here. Is there a web page where we can post recorded samples of bird songs to identify? Our written descriptions of the songs don't quite do the job.

As an alternative, there seem to be numerous websites with recorded bird songs, but you might have to listen to dozens of samples to find your mystery bird. Google "online bird song samples" to find these websites. I've just started.

Jun 02, 2016

My outdoor mystery bird says "Tweety Bird."
by: Boo Heisey

I live in the mountains of Northern California. No cardinals up here. Can anyone help me with this identification? This bird calls every spring for the past ten years and more. I don't hear the "Tweety-bird call after May.

May 07, 2016

"Pretty Bird" call, Knoxville, Tennessee
by: Mr. Reader

I seem to be hearing the bird song described by Bobbie in Upstate New York -- "Pretty bird" followed by a chirp that could be described as metallic. Last year, I noticed and recorded the sound with the video function on my inexpensive digital camera, but I still haven't seen the bird. The bird and its song is back again this year, and I hear it every day close to the house. Nice.

May 04, 2016

I always thought it was the cardinals
by: Shelia D

Pretty bird, pretty bird, pretty, pretty birdie, birdie, birdie, look here, right here, here, here, donk, donk, donk, donk. (Hearing it right now.)

I always thought it was the cardinals. We have so many of them here in North Alabama all year long and they sing all the time. Beautiful birds and songs. If it is not them they have invisible singing neighbors.

Apr 17, 2016

my burrito bird
by: Cathy

I hear a beautiful bird in the evening in central florida that seems to sing "burrito burrito burrito" with the accent in the middle. I have listened to many of the bird songs and can't seem to find.

Mar 30, 2016

bird song "pretty, pretty, pretty"
by: Anonymous

I hear "pretty, pretty,pretty" every morning, but not pretty bird. We mainly have robins, cardinals, and house sparrows. I cant find what bird could be making this sound.

Mar 04, 2016

Bird song
by: Anonymous

I live in Northeast Tennessee. Does anyone know which bird has a song that sounds like to me it's saying "I'm a birdie ,I'm a birdie, I'm a birdie"?

Oct 08, 2015

Pretty bird
by: Anonymous

Sitting here near Dallas and hearing them sing pretty bird!

Jun 19, 2015

pretty bird call
by: Anonymous

The Golden Crowned Sparrow has a call that sounds like pretty bird starting with one note slightly drawn out followed by pretty bird. The bird has been sighted in Iowa which is out of its normal range but normally would be along the west coast into Canada.

I've heard the pretty bird, pretty bird call here in Iowa a couple different times also and still haven't found what bird it is.

Jun 15, 2015

Pretty bird
by: Canadian gal

Hi I ve herd a bird out my window , sounding like. Pretty bird pretty bird pretty bird !!! Unsure of what kind it is ..I live n Canada. Any suggestions!????

Jun 08, 2015

Canada: "Pretty birdie"
by: Anonymous

I live on the south coast of mainland British Columbia. Every day I hear a call that sounds like "pretty birdie" or "little birdie" and then a series of notes. It's incredibly distinct. It's not a Northern Cardinal - they don't live here and anyway, I checked out a confirmed recorded Cardinal call on my bird app, and it's definitely different. Also not a Brown Thrasher. This has been driving me nuts!

May 30, 2015

in kentucky
by: Elizabeth

Eastern wood Pewee?

May 29, 2015

see the pretty bird
by: Terry Scovell

I live on the Kenai peninsula in Anchor Point Alaska. Every spring we have a migrating bird that sings ( see the pretty bird ) it stays until late fall. Does anybody know what bird this is ???

Apr 16, 2015

pretty bird
by: Anonymous

sounds like a cardinal to me. we have many in our yard in the pine trees and holly tree.they are very loud and clear and sing pretty ,pretty,pretty and other sounds all year, ad esp in the spring. happy birding.

Apr 08, 2015

Pretty Birdie
by: Anonymous

I believe it sounds like Pretty Birdie….it has a distinct e sound at the end of Bird…Bird-e….

Jun 28, 2014

Oregon "pretty bird"
by: Anonymous

We heard numerous "pretty bird" songs while camping this weekend. The call was a single "pretty bird" followed by a brief pause, with no other associated sound.

We observed many different birds as we were camped at a reservoir with marshy shores. Grey herons, osprey, blackbirds, mallards, Canadian geese, crows, and blue jays were a few we identified.

We do not have cardinals here in Southern Oregon. Could the "pretty bird" have been a blackbird?

Jun 01, 2014

Pretty Bird
by: Pat M.

I agree that it may be a brown thrasher. I live in north central Virginia in a wooded area and have been trying to see what is singing that clear distinct "pretty bird" over and over. I'm glad I'm not the only one to hear it!

May 25, 2014

Brown Thresher
by: Anonymous

We heard the same song just after sunset. We live just north of Green Bay at the edge the northern forests. There are a lot of cardinals in the area. We never heard this song before. Just after sunset, the last two nights, we have heard what we believe is a variation of the Brown Thrushers many songs. The cardinals do not sing at that time of the day. We haven't seen the bird yet, but we on the look.

Jun 19, 2013

PRETTY BIRD SINGER
by: Gainesville FL

two tone grey bird that sings pretty, pretty, pretty...???

Jun 02, 2012

Cardinal song
by: Tarheel grandmother

Definitely a Cardinal. I'm in NC.... its our state bird. They definitely say, "Pretty bird" very loudly and clearly.

Our pairs of Cardinals come to the feeders at the beginning of sundown like clockwork. They come all day as well but there is something about their regular dinner hour that's endearing.

May 25, 2012

Sings "Pretty Bird"
by: B Sellers

I think this may be a Cardinal. Our cardinals sing loudly and it very much sounds like "Pretty Bird"!

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to What Is This Bird?.