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.
A male blackbird's mating call – officially the most soothing birdsong, according to researchers
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).
