The song of the one-winged bellbird, found in the Amazonian forests, reaches 125 decibels at its peak, making it the loudest singer among all feathered creatures.
Previously, the record belonged to the screaming piha from South America, whose loudest sound reaches an average of 116 decibels. (For comparison, the noise level of a pneumatic hammer is 90 decibels, and the pain threshold for the human ear is 120 decibels.) The singing of these noisy birds was studied by scientists from the National Institute for Amazonian Research and the University of Massachusetts, who published their findings in the journal Current Biology.
The authors of the study measured the sound level of three pihas and eight bellbirds in their natural habitat. The birds were not listened to up close, but with the help of special devices that allow for precise distance measurement to the object, the volume level for each of them was established.
The one-winged bellbirds weigh less than 250 grams, but they have very powerful abdominal muscles and the ability to open their beaks wide, which allows them to produce such loud sounds. The screams at 125 decibels are the mating calls of the males (what this looks like can be seen here), which have a peculiar ornament — a long “mustache” hanging from their beaks, similar to a peacock's tail and a rooster's comb. Both bellbirds and piha belong to the family Cotingidae, known for their songs: due to the structure of their larynx, they produce sounds that resemble something other than bird songs — their voices can be heard mooing, ringing like a bell, or making an electronic screech, like these bellbirds.
