A bare-necked bellbird sings its song - Photo: JOAO MENEZES
A study by the University of Massachusetts Amherst (USA), published in the journal Evolution , noted that the bare-throated bellbird and the red-footed seriema have songs exceeding 120 decibels when measured at a standard distance of 1 meter.
The bare-throated bellbird reached 122.4 decibels on average over a period of 20 milliseconds. One individual of this species even produced a peak sound of nearly 131 decibels, making it the loudest bird in the study.
The record also depends on how "loud" is defined. If we average the loudest calls of each species over 20 milliseconds, the red-footed Serima reached nearly 121 decibels, according to CNN on September 30.
Meanwhile, the white bellbird, once recorded at 125 decibels and recognized by the Guinness World Records as the loudest bird, still leads when considering the average peak volume across multiple individuals, with 127 decibels.
The red-footed Seriema is also a contender for the title of the world's noisiest bird - Photo: JOAO MENEZES
The research team measured the songs of 123 bird species in Massachusetts (USA) and Brazil between 2018 and 2025. The songs of 113 of these species had never been recorded before.
Measuring bird sounds in the wild is not straightforward because researchers must accurately determine the distance from the bird to the recording device. The team used a laser rangefinder, similar to those used in golf, to simultaneously determine the location and intensity of the sound.
After adjusting for background noise and distance, scientists discovered that species with larger bodies and wider beaks tend to produce louder sounds.
According to research, larger birds have stronger muscles, creating greater internal pressure, while their wider beaks help to dissipate more sound energy into the environment.
However, some small birds can still produce sounds much louder than those of giant animals like elephants, lions, or bison, suggesting that there are still sound-producing mechanisms that are not fully understood.
Scientists have not yet fully determined why some species evolved into particularly loud "singers."
Bellbirds living in dense forests may need loud songs to communicate through thick vegetation, but the red-footed Serema, which lives in open environments and is monogamous, also produces very loud sounds.
The research team believes that as more data on bird songs is collected, the list of the "noisiest species in the world" could grow longer.