Churts

 

I was standing in the shade of a tree listening to a sound like none I had heard before: a repeated, edgy, explosive, pop. It was coming from the far side of the tree. What could it possibly be?

When I rounded the tree, the unexpected source turned out to be a meadowlark. Although the meadowlark is noted for its melodious song, this vocalization was markedly different.

This sound is called a churt, which is a coinage likely of onomatopoeic origin. Apparently the few birds that churt do so merely as a way of saying: “Here I am.”

A Western Meadowlark churts, “I’m here.”

 

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4 Responses to Churts

  1. BILL says:

    What a great shot of a lovely ‘churter’; I’ve never seen one, so thanks!

  2. Della C. Fenkner says:

    A wonderful reminder of a melodious prairie bird. Thank you.

  3. Peter Mackie says:

    Lovely

  4. Christine says:

    That’s really nice, seeing a meadowlark. Never saw one before. Thank you.

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