chirring

Chirring is the act or sound characterized by a rapid, high-pitched, repetitive tone. It is most often associated with insects, particularly crickets and katydids, whose males produce the sound to attract mates. The term can also describe similar high-frequency, staccato noises produced by other insects such as cicadas, or by certain mechanical sources.

In crickets the sound is created by stridulation: one wing bears a serrated file that interfaces with a scraper on the other wing, producing a series of short chirps as the wings are rubbed together. The cadence and pitch depend on species, temperature, and the rate at which the wings are moved. Temperature commonly affects chirr rate, with warmer conditions typically increasing the speed of chirping; researchers sometimes use this relationship to estimate ambient temperature, via formulas derived for particular species (commonly referred to as Dolbear's law in popular summaries).

In cultural contexts, chirring is often used to evoke the soundscape of rural or summer settings, and it appears in literature, field guides, and nature recordings. The term may also be used more loosely to describe any rapid, repetitive high-frequency noise from machinery, electronics, or other devices when they emit a characteristic staccato sound.

See also: chirp, stridulation, insect acoustics.