Check out some of the contestants participating in the songbird calling contest that's part of the annual "Sagra dei Osei Cisano" festival held in Bardolino, Italy. Garda Tourism provides this overview of the festival:
"Festival del Sisán" is the oldest fair of bird hunting sector in Veneto; fairs of this kind were created in the twelfth century in Northern Italy, the places most affected by the migration of birds.
The day fixed for the Sagra dei Osei Cisano is September 8th, coinciding with the Nativity of Mary, before the hunting season. The festival has always seen the interests of both hunters and farmers, the first to find references and more for the upcoming opening of the hunting season, the second to buy farm animals and equipment. As always on these occasions, they could not miss the local wine and typical dishes of the area, in this case the Bardolino wine, tripe, polenta e osei.
One of the unchanged attractions over time is the singing competition between "chioccolatori," whistlers that mimic the birds singing and the singing between "springs" (birds).
I found the video on the subreddit "Top Talent" ("The best of the best"), which never disappoints. If I close my eyes, and I didn't know humans were making these sounds, I'd swear it was actually birds. Top talent, indeed! Enjoy!
Update: anothernewbbaccount adds some disheartening context: "These bird imitators do it to lure birds in to be trapped or killed."
These 'bird hunters' have been responsible for the decline in many species migrating through those areas. Yes, much of what is described in the first article below is done illegally (poaching) but the fact that Italy allows legal bird hunting (see second article) is a disgrace in itself.
Snared: catching poachers to save Italy's songbirds
Shooting and the law in Italy / Komitee gegen den Vogelmord e. V
