Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
🔊 BONK!!! BONK!!! Who’s there?
🏍️💨 Just the Three-wattled Bellbird, making sure everyone within half a mile got the message. Clocking in at up to 100 decibels, its call is as loud as a motorcycle!
And it’s not just loud — it’s cultured. These birds have regional dialects, meaning populations across Central America sound different. Young birds actually learn their songs from adult “tutors,” tweak them over time, and even check in on neighboring males to keep up with the latest local hits. Very few animals are capable of vocal learning!
🍊 You’ll find them in the mountain forests of Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama — but they don’t stay put. After the breeding season, they head downhill, tracking ripe fruit from highlands to lowlands. When lowland forests disappear due to habitat loss and fragmentation, so do the fruiting trees they rely on.
Learn how ABC is working with partners to protect and restore these critical habitats in our bird library:
abcbirds.org/birds/three-wattled-bellbird
🔊 BONK!!! BONK!!! Who’s there?
🏍️💨 Just the Three-wattled Bellbird, making sure everyone within half a mile got the message. Clocking in at up to 100 decibels, its call is as loud as a motorcycle!
And it’s not just loud — it’s cultured. These birds have regional dialects, meaning populations across Central America sound different. Young birds actually learn their songs from adult “tutors,” tweak them over time, and even check in on neighboring males to keep up with the latest local hits. Very few animals are capable of vocal learning!
🍊 You’ll find them in the mountain forests of Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama — but they don’t stay put. After the breeding season, they head downhill, tracking ripe fruit from highlands to lowlands. When lowland forests disappear due to habitat loss and fragmentation, so do the fruiting trees they rely on.
Learn how ABC is working with partners to protect and restore these critical habitats in our bird library:
abcbirds.org/birds/three-wattled-bellbird
