Mason Blake
Animals make a wide variety of sounds, and being able to identify these sounds can be useful in a number of situations. For example, you may want to identify a pest in your house or simply learn more about the wildlife in your area. Some animals, such as raccoons, opossums, and birds, make clicking sounds, while others, such as squirrels, bats, and mice, can make high-pitched squeaking noises. Distressed rabbit kits make bird-like chirping noises, whereas happy rabbits are known to cluck, hum, and purr. Some animals, such as rattlesnakes, are easily identifiable by their unique sounds. There are also technological tools being developed to help with animal sound identification, such as the WASIS (Wildlife Animal Sound Identification System) software and Google and QUT's A2O Search tool. These tools aim to make it easier for researchers, scientists, and the general public to identify animal species based on their unique sounds.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Mountain lions | Growl, hiss, chirp, whistle, and make high-pitched screams |
| Barred owls | Hoot eight or nine times in a row, saying "who who who" |
| Great Horned Owls | Hoot with a stuttering rhythm, saying "who who who" |
| Coyotes | Growl, huff, bark, howl, yelp, whine, yodel, and sing |
| Rattlesnakes | Rattle at the end of their tails |
| Bees | Buzz and vibrate |
| Elephants | Trumpet |
| Bats | Use echolocation and ultrasonic sounds |
| Monkeys | Chatter |
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What You'll Learn
Owls and their hooting
Owls are well-known for their hooting calls, with the great horned owl and the barred owl producing the most recognisable hooting calls of all the American owls. However, not all owls can hoot. Some owls, like the barn owl, produce a rather spooky hissing shriek call, while eastern screech owls whinny almost like a horse.
Owls hoot for various reasons, but the primary reason is to communicate with other members of their species. Owls mostly hoot to tell other owls that they are occupying a specific territory and that visitors are not welcome. They may also hoot to attract a mate. Owls tend to be most vocal in the first hour after sunset and just before sunrise the following morning.
The great horned owl, for example, advertises its territory with deep, soft hoots with a stuttering rhythm: "hoo-h’HOO-hoo-hoo". The male and female of a breeding pair may perform a duet of alternating calls, with the female's voice recognisably higher in pitch than the male's. Young owls give piercing screams when begging for food, while adults may scream to defend the nest. Adults make a variety of other sounds, including whistles, barks, shrieks, hisses, coos, and wavering cries.
The barred owl is not a songbird, but its distinctive "Who cooks for you?" call functions as a song. Its hooting call consists of 8–9 notes, described as "Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?". During courtship, mated pairs perform a duet of cackles, hoots, caws, and gurgles.
Northern saw-whet owls get their name from the sounds they make. One of their calls, a repetitive "toot-toot-toot-toot", reminded early ornithologists of the sound of a saw being sharpened on a whetstone.
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Mountain lions and their chirps
Mountain lions, also known as cougars, are large mammals that can be found in various parts of the Americas, including the United States and Canada. While they are typically stealthy predators, they do make a variety of noises, including purrs, hisses, growls, and snarls. Interestingly, mountain lions also make bird-like chirping sounds.
The chirping sound produced by mountain lions can be quite distinctive and is just one of the many vocalizations in their repertoire. These vocalizations can vary in pitch and volume, serving different purposes in their communication with other lions and their surroundings. While mountain lions are capable of making loud noises, they are generally very quiet and cautious in their natural habitat.
Mountain lions typically use their stealth and agility to hunt, preferring to creep close to their prey before rushing in for a quick kill. They are known for their efficient hunting style, targeting the neck, throat, or skull of their prey to ensure a swift death. After making a kill, they drag the carcass to a concealed area, often covering it with grass and leaves before feeding again later.
Despite their presence in areas frequented by hikers and campers, encounters with mountain lions are considered rare. These lions are experts at camouflage and blending into their surroundings, making them difficult to spot. However, it is important to remember that they are wild animals and can be dangerous if approached or threatened.
If you find yourself in close proximity to a mountain lion, it is essential to remain calm and try to appear large and intimidating. Making noise, throwing rocks in the animal's direction (but not directly at it), and lifting your arms above your head can help create the illusion of a larger size. Carrying bear spray is also recommended as a deterrent and can be effective if used properly.
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Coyotes and their howls
Coyotes are highly adaptable animals that can be found in various environments, from remote wilderness areas to towns, suburbs, and even cities. They have a diverse diet and are known to scavenge garbage, hunt small rodents, and prey on domestic animals. While they are typically more active at night, they can be heard howling at any time of day or night.
Coyote howls are a form of vocal communication used by these animals to interact with their family members and other packs. These howls can be identified by their unique patterns, lengths, and articulations, which can vary between individuals and families. The howls often start with falsetto yips, gradually building into longer, sustained sounds that may resemble maniacal laughter.
Coyotes use their howls for several purposes. One reason is to call their pack or family group back together after a period of individual hunting. By howling, they can signal their positions to one another and assemble the pack. Additionally, howling serves to advertise their presence to other packs, asserting their territorial boundaries and warning against trespassing.
The howls of coyotes can be quite lengthy, sometimes lasting for 20 minutes or longer. During this time, they can produce a range of tones, pitches, modulations, and inflections, incorporating warbles, lilts, crescendos, and trills. These vocalizations are not just limited to howling, as coyotes have been known to growl, huff, bark, yelp, whine, yodel, and even "sing" in a group.
Coyote howls can be distinguished from those of other canines, such as wolves. While wolf howls are often melodious and protracted, coyote howls tend to be louder and more abrupt, with a stronger emphasis on the first syllable. Coyotes are also known to produce a "'bark howl,' which can serve as a long-distance threat vocalization or an alarm call.
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Bees and their buzzes
Bees are well known for their buzzing, a sound that is instantly recognisable, especially in the summer months. The buzzing is produced by the vibration of the bee's flight muscles, which in turn affects the tone and pitch of the buzz. The buzzing sound is not only produced during flight, but also when bees are communicating or warming up and cooling down.
Bees use buzzing to communicate with other bees. For example, during the "waggle dance", bees move and buzz in a way that indicates the distance and source of nectar or pollen to other bees. Bees also buzz to exert dominance, warn off predators, and during mating.
The buzzing sound is created by the beating of the bee's wings, and the larger the bee, the slower its wings beat and the lower the pitch of the resulting sound.
Different species of bees produce different buzzing sounds. For example, the vernal mining bee (Colletes cuniculares) has been known to buzz during the process of attracting a mate and during the mating process itself.
Bees may also buzz when they are trapped, for example in a spider web or a bottle, possibly as a way to try and escape.
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Elephants and their trumpets
Elephants are known to produce a wide range of sounds, from very low-frequency rumbles to higher-frequency trumpets. They communicate through vocalisations, seismic vibrations, and semiochemicals. They also use visual displays and touching. Elephants greet each other by stroking or wrapping their trunks, and older elephants discipline younger ones with trunk-slaps, kicks, and shoves.
The trumpet is perhaps the most well-known elephant call. It is made by blowing air forcefully through the trunk, with the mouth sometimes involved in producing the sound. Elephants trumpet when they are excited, fearful, happy, distressed, or aggressive. They may also trumpet when they are lost, angry, playful, or surprised.
Elephants also make other vocalisations, such as growls, squeaks, snorts, chirps, and rumbles. Growls are used for short-distance communication, while rumbles are used for long-distance communication and when greeting, bonding, threatening, or soothing. Squeaks and chirps can signal conflict, nervousness, or excitement, and snorts indicate changes in activity.
Elephants also communicate through seismic vibrations, which are vibrations produced by impacts on the earth's surface or acoustical waves that travel through it. They use their leg and shoulder bones to transmit these signals to the middle ear. This form of communication is particularly useful for long-distance communication.
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Frequently asked questions
The Barred owl, which often hoots eight or nine times in a row. The Great Horned Owl also makes a similar sound, but with a stuttering rhythm.
It could be a mountain lion. They sometimes make chirping sounds, which are usually a mother looking for her children.
This could be a coyote. They are often called the 'song dog' due to their extensive vocal repertoire, which includes growling, huffing, barking, howling, yelping, whining, yodeling, and sometimes 'singing' in a group.
Bees make buzzing sounds with their fast-moving wings, which they use for communication.
Elephants make a trumpet-like sound, usually when they are excited, stressed, or angry. They use this sound as a warning of potential threats or as a gathering call.
