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How loud is the white bellbird?

125dB max1 m (calculated from rangefinder distances)

The white bellbird of the Amazon is the loudest bird measured, reaching about 125 dB on average at the loudest point of its song, calculated at 1 m. Podos and Cohn-Haft (2019) found it more than 9 dB louder than the previous record holder, the screaming piha.

Level
125 dB maxunweighted maximum sound level
Distance
1 m1 m (calculated from rangefinder distances)
Daily limit
About 3 s a dayNIOSH, at the loud end

What the numbers mean

How it was measured. Loudest point of the white bellbird's (Procnias albus) louder song type, averaged across birds and scaled to 1 m from laser-rangefinder distances, measured in montane rainforest in the Brazilian Amazon (Podos & Cohn-Haft 2019). The Jakobsen et al. (2021) table lists the original weighting as A or C.

Jeff Podos and Mario Cohn-Haft recorded eight bellbirds and three screaming pihas in a montane rainforest in the Brazilian Amazon. They used rangefinder binoculars to measure how far away each bird was and calculated the level at 1 m, according to Science News. The bellbirds averaged about 125 dB at the loudest point of one song type; the pihas maxed out around 116 dB.

That 9 dB difference means roughly triple the sound pressure. Remarkably, the loudest song is not used for long-distance advertising: when a female was on the display perch, a male sang only his louder song type, swivelling to blast the second note towards her at close range.

The bird weighs less than 250 g, according to Science News, which also reports thick abdominal muscles and a beak that opens extra wide.

How long is safe?

NIOSH recommends no more than 3 s a day at 125 dBA. OSHA's legal limit is 3 min 45 s. This is a maximum, so a time limit based on it is a worst case. This level is not A-weighted, so the times are approximate: low-pitched sound measures lower in dBA.

LevelNIOSH limit (85 dBA, 3 dB rule)OSHA limit (90 dBA, 5 dB rule)UK/EU 80 dB(A) action value reached afterUK/EU 85 dB(A) action value reached after
125 dB max3 s3 min 45 sunder 1 s3 s

Times are for a whole day’s exposure, with the rest of the day quiet. The workplace limits were written for adults at work, not for children. Work out a mixed day with the noise dose calculator.

Protecting your hearing

Not a risk for visitors: bellbirds sing from perches in the forest, and the loudest songs are aimed at a female sitting close by, not at people.

Earplug and earmuff ratings (NRR in the US, SNR in the UK and EU) are lab figures; real-world protection is usually lower. How to read the ratings.

Compared with sounds nearby

Using midpoints of each range. Energy multiplies by 10 every 10 dB; perceived loudness roughly doubles (why).

  • Elephant (112–120 dB max): this has about 7.9× its sound energy and sounds about 1.9× as loud.
  • Screaming piha (116 dB max): this has about 7.9× its sound energy and sounds about 1.9× as loud.
  • SLS rocket launch (Artemis I) (127–136 dB max): it has about 4.5× the sound energy of this and sounds about 1.6× as loud.
  • Chrysler air raid siren (137–138 dB): it has about 18× the sound energy of this and sounds about 2.4× as loud.

Questions

What is the loudest bird in the world?

The white bellbird, whose loudest song averages about 125 dB at 1 m, measured by Podos and Cohn-Haft in 2019.

How much louder is it than the screaming piha?

More than 9 dB louder, roughly triple the sound pressure; the piha maxed out around 116 dB.

Why is it so loud?

The male sings his loudest song at a female sitting close by, so the sound may serve close-range courtship rather than long-distance calling.

Sources

  1. White bellbirds have the loudest known mating call of any bird, Science News. Supports: dB_low/dB_high: about 125 dB.The birds ( Procnias albus ) reach about 125 decibels on average at the loudest point in one of their songsChecked 2026-11-02.
  2. White bellbirds have the loudest known mating call of any bird, Science News. Supports: distance: 1 m.Then, they calculated how loud the sound would be a meter from each bird to crown a winner.Checked 2026-11-02.
  3. White bellbirds have the loudest known mating call of any bird, Science News. Supports: body: screaming piha 116 dB.maxed out around 116 decibels on averageChecked 2026-11-02.
  4. White bellbirds have the loudest known mating call of any bird, Science News. Supports: body: weight.which weighs less than 250 gramsChecked 2026-11-02.
  5. Extremely loud mating songs at close range in white bellbirds, Current Biology (Podos & Cohn-Haft, 2019), via PubMed. Supports: body: more than 9 dB louder.However, we find that white bellbirds are >9 dB louder, and thus achieve roughly triple the sound pressure levels of pihas.Checked 2026-11-02.
  6. Extremely loud mating songs at close range in white bellbirds, Current Biology (Podos & Cohn-Haft, 2019), via PubMed. Supports: body: close-range courtship.when a female was on the display perch, a male bellbird sang only his louder song typeChecked 2026-11-02.
  7. White bellbird is the world's loudest bird, CBC News. Supports: dB: 125 dB.has broken the record for the loudest bird song in the world, peaking at 125 decibels on averageChecked 2026-11-02.
  8. How Loud Can you go? Physical and Physiological Constraints to Producing High Sound Pressures in Animal Vocalizations, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (Jakobsen et al., 2021). Supports: dB: 125 dB peak at 1 m.Procnias albus 125 161Checked 2026-11-02.
  9. White bellbirds have the loudest known mating call of any bird, Science News. Supports: body: sample sizes.The team measured sound intensity from three pihas and eight bellbirds.Checked 2026-11-02.
  10. Extremely loud mating songs at close range in white bellbirds, Current Biology (Podos & Cohn-Haft, 2019), via PubMed. Supports: body: swivelling towards the female.swiveling his body mid-song to face the female head onChecked 2026-11-02.

This page is general information, not medical advice. If you have ringing in your ears, muffled hearing or any change in your hearing, see an audiologist or your doctor.