Sorry, nightingales: The blackbird has topped a ranking of more than 100 birdsongs rated for their calming effect on listeners, according to researchers at the University of Tübingen.
The study, which asked 84 people in Germany to rate 123 different bird tunes, found the barn owl's screech to be the least pleasant sound, landing it in last place. The house sparrow ranked 60th, the tufted duck 68th, and the feral pigeon 101st.
But what makes one birdsong beautiful and another like hearing nails on a chalkboard?
The researchers found that the most beloved avian melodies tended to have greater complexity and were performed at a higher frequency (although crucially not at the frequency range where human hearing is highly sensitive).
“We might be wired to prefer more variable sounds with moderate amplitudes and frequencies because they signal a safe, healthy, and restorative environment where we can relax,” says Dr Nadine Kalb, one of the study’s authors.
Human bias also played a role, with results suggesting that what people thought of particular species of birds influenced their ratings.
THE FIVE LEAST PLEASANT SOUNDING BIRDSONGS
- The barn owl (Tyto alba)
- The Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca)
- The grey heron (Ardea cinerea)
- The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus)
- The Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius)
THE FIVE MOST PLEASANT SOUNDING BIRDSONGS
- The common blackbird (Turdus merula)
- The willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)
- The blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)
- The mistle thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
- The garden warbler (Sylvia borin)
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