The Masters Tournament bird sounds controversy, explained

It’s Masters season, and that can only mean one thing. That’s right, it’s time to investigate the mystery of Augusta National Golf Club’s bird song controversy.

Not familiar with this case of (alleged) avian shenanigans? Here’s the lowdown. For years, rumors have claimed that the bird song you hear in the background of Masters broadcasts is fake. Despite a CBS spokesperson insisting that “the birds you hear are live and they are indigenous to Augusta,” many people remain skeptical.

Masters Leaderboard: Live leaderboard, schedule, tee times

In a 2016 article, The Washington Post’s Thomas Boswell weighed in on the situation, claiming:

“There are no birds, squirrels, insects or any other living creature indigenous to planet earth at the Masters. Nowhere on the property. Well, okay, there must be some somewhere. But the Post’s Dave Sheinin and I made a multi-day quest for a single bird sighting. So far, none. Those bird calls that you sometimes hear on the Masters broadcast? The source remains undiscovered.” 

Masters Leaderboard: Live leaderboard, schedule, tee times

Masters Leaderboard: Live leaderboard, schedule, tee times

Masters Leaderboard: Live leaderboard, schedule, tee times

Boswell and Sheinin aren’t the only reporters who have searched the grounds of the Augusta National Golf Club looking for birds. Sports Illustrated’s Michael Bamberger and Golf Digest’s Shane Ryan have also searched the property for any sign of avian activity during the Masters Tournament. Both writers struggled to spot any birds, though Bamberger did eventually find one after it pooped on him while he was talking to Bob Costas.

While this whole matter may seem silly, the use of artificial bird sound during golf events isn’t unprecedented. CBS even admitted to using recorded bird sounds at the 2000 PGA Championship. For ornithologists and birdwatchers (birders, to those in the know), the artificial birdsong was easy to identify.

So, what do the experts have to say about the chickadee and sparrow soundtrack at the Masters Tournament? As Cornell Lab of Ornithology director John Fitzpatrick told Slate in 2019, the birdsong he heard during 2015 and 2016 Masters broadcasts came from “a pretty representative list of birds that are singing in the pine woods of central Georgia.”

Still, Fitzpatrick suspects that, while “the noise is definitely birds recorded there right on the grounds,” some “audio enhancement” may be occurring. Curious birders may want to keep their ears perked for questionable tweets and chirps during the Masters this year. For others, this strange case of avian antics will probably just remain a fun topic to gossip about while watching golfers line up a shot.