What kind of bird is in my wall? (Please tell me it's not a rat!!)

[penguinbiscuity]

We've been hearing noises through the ventilation in DD's bedroom. We weren't sure if it was rodents or birds at first, but I'm pretty releived to say I think this recording sounds like a bird!

I'm not imagining it, it does sound like a bird - doesn't it?!

Can anyone help me identify what kind of bird it is?
(The clip is very quiet, sorry!)

Definitely tweeting

Phew!

I'm finding it had to believe it's really tweeting as the first time we heard them a few days ago, they were a lot more squeeky rather than tweety and I really thought it was rats. But. I told DD it was possible it was a bird as I didn't want her to be freaked out and so she could get to sleep as it was late.

I'm SOOO relieved that this has somehow manifested into the truth!!

So it's great to hear you can hear tweeting too! Definitely no rats. Phew.

Probably parakeets as they nest this time of year .they also have very sharp beaks and can break the cover for the extractor .

House sparrow?

Parakeets?! The kids would be thrilled - that would be exciting (until I get pissed off with the damage!) We don't have them here yet I don't think - East Sussex coast.

My family are in London and there are loads there these days aren't there.

I love them. But my mum has to put up with them all the time and she hates them - says they're really destructive.

We don't have an extractor fan or anything high tech btw. The ventilation would have been put in in the 80s at the latest. I think it's just a vent allowing air to circulate in the void in the wall.

Actually come to think of it parakeets sound tropical - I don't think this does - does it?

I think it's a good possibility. I'm just looking at this page with birdsong samples on it and it's not dissimilar.

Do you think they're nesting? (Early, but heck, I've seen a bee in January down here).

www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/identifying-birds/bird-song-identifier

Here's a louder version.

Although - it loses some of the sound of the bird I think, and it's a bit screechy (sorry!).

Get the Merlin bird ID app

I saw that now when I was googling - I was looking for something to upload the clip onto.

But I think you need to do it live instead of uploading clips, is that right?

I'll have to get DD to put the app on her phone as it's in her room.

Ooh, parakeets do sound quite squeeky! And apparently there are some wild ones down here (never seen them myself!)

I don't think that sound is an adult parakeet, but - maybe babies?

Keeping this one in my back pocket - definitely not my prime suspect but not ready to cross it off the list!

Yes, they could be nesting, spring is just around the corner. Whatever species it is it's definitely birds and not rodents, that's very good news!

Fantastic news!!

I'm really pleased for you it isn't rats. I've never had them but I know people who have. Unlike birds, they move about in the walls and you can hear them scratching, they will also chew anything they come across including wood, wiring and plaster. The only 'house guests' I've had have been birds (house sparrows I believe) and bumblebees.

If they're being pretty noisy are they more likely to be a nesting couple or the babies?

I think maybe they're being especially noisy at night, although it could just be that's when DD notices it because she's quiet in bed then.

Yeah, we had rats about a year or so ago. Absolute nightmare. Like you say they were noisy fuckers and chewed holes in things. The smell of dead rat is like nothing else <boak>

I think (hope!!) we managed to get rid of them so my heart sunk when DD said she heard something in the wall.

Yuk - that's the stuff of nightmares! Glad you've got rid of them.

(Bird nerd alert!)

At this time of year singing is to compete for and attract a partner, or to communicate about food. There won't be any babies yet. Once there is a nest with eggs or babies, they won't sing much at all, because they don't want to attract the attention of predators. (I'm ignoring some more promiscuous species with multiple partners/nests).

What's the access to the wall like? Is it an older house with small holes or space under roof tiles? House sparrows love that kind of habitat.

Your recording has trills, cheeps, melody, warbling notes. As you can tell from the video, parakeets don't really do quiet cute sounds 😂 they screech and they're loud and you'd know 100% for sure if you had one in your wall.

Your house isn't really the right habitat for parakeets either, they like big holes in trees, though can be opportunistic. What destruction is your mum talking about? They like to pull off tree bark, and sometimes destroy a bird feeder or other plastic thing.

My vote goes to house sparrow, though possibly starling, they can make similar sounds but it's not their preferred habitat. I'll check the sound on BirdNET (another app) in a bit. Either way, pretty harmless.

I'm so pleased you're here Agapornis, I was hoping for a bird nerd!

Would it likely be a female or a male bird making noisxe to attract a mate?

Yes our house is quite old and I wouldn't be surprised if they could find a way in.

I love sparrows. There used to be so many when I was growing up in London in the 70s and 80s. You just don't see as many these days.

Yes, my mum's talking about bark - there's a big flock that strips the bark from a couple of nice trees that back onto her garden. And also they dominate my mum's bird feeders - she's in a constant battle with the parakeets and the squirrels to make sure there's food for the small birds.

I told DD last night I was going to try to find out the species.

First thing she said this morning (way before "morning mum") was "what kind of bird is it?"

I think we're all invested here! We're rooting for our little house sparrow(?) to find a mate :)

Hm BirdNet said it was too little data to be sure! If you have a longer & louder recording that'll really help (same for Merlin).

Normally the male would do the full on singing, but sparrows are such chatty birds, and the sounds you've recorded sound like normal conversation, so to speak. Impossible to tell whether female or male from the recording. When you see one the male will have a black bib and eye mask.

Xeno Canto can be helpful for comparing
https://xeno-canto.org/species/passer-domesticus and distinguishes song from calls (i.e. conversational chatter - they make lots of other types of sounds). Try to find recordings near you, because they do have regional accents - not a joke! Lots of birds have accents depending on what's popular.

You could get a camera (wildlife or normal) to put on wherever they enter the wall if you want to see them. I think nest cams are fairly affordable if you can wire one up. You could put a bird box under your eaves. Or several of them - they do like to nest close to each other.

https://thewildbirdstore.co.uk/product/the-house-sparrow-terrace/

Something like this is fairly easy to make yourself. If you search for sparrow terrace next box you'll find plenty of examples.

Also. Your mum needs a bird feeder with a squirrel proof cage. Suet blocks can be good too. OR....accept the foreign invaders introduced by humans ;) and leave them some peanuts away from the smaller feeders. Parrots and squirrels can both be trained to eat from your hand :)