Whistle
The whistle is used by Captains to call idle Pikmin to them. A small circle shows where the whistle will blow to. Holding the button down makes the circle grow larger. When used, the captain shoots a few sound waves that hit the circle and expand, while turning from red, to yellow, and eventually blue. In Pikmin 2 there is an enemy called the antenna beetle which makes a whistle with its wings that can attract pikmin and lead them into hazards. There is an item called the Pluckaphone which allows the captains to uproot pikmin using the whistle, and the Mega Tweeter allows for a wider range, and a longer lasting whistle. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the whistle is used to gather and sort Pikmin. It appears much the same as it does in the Pikmin series, but it is smaller, without a reticule, and lasts a shorter amount of time. In Pikmin 3, The Whistle has taken on a new look, and the range is much smaller. In the Gamecube games the whistle cursor points in the same direction as the captain, but on the Wii versions you can move the cursor anywhere on the screen without moving Captain Olimar.
In pikmin 3 the whistle has a wider range and sends a beam upwards. This may be for calling pink pikmin