The Barking Owl has two main calls, both distinctive and unmistakable. The first is a double-noted, dog-like 'wook-wook', and the second is a wavering human-like scream.
Male lyrebirds use their mimicking talents mainly for courtship, according to the National Audubon Society. During their breeding season, from June to August, male lyrebirds can be heard singing for up to 4 hours a day.
It might look demure, but the bush stone-curlew has a call that would make just about anyone's blood run cold. Nicknamed the 'screaming woman bird', their high-pitched, drawn-out shrieks can be heard across the night as they try to contact each other.
It's a lyrebird in an Australian zoo. What's so special about this one? Well the bird is creating noise (quite literally) for perfectly mimicking a crying baby.
Sooty Owls
The Greater Sooty Owl is native to the south-eastern forests of Australia and is nocturnal, spending its days in tree hollows, caves and under rock overhangs. Its typical call is known as a 'falling bomb whistle', a short, descending screech or shriek that can be heard over long distances.
Male limpkins are well known for producing a repetitive, high-pitched wail or scream that sounds remarkably human-like when it wakes you up in the dead of night.
Australian Owlet-nightjars make a variety of sounds, the most commonly heard calls include a series of soft churring notes. The calls of this species are one of the most commonly heard sounds of the Australian bush at night.
White bellbirds shatter the record for noisiest call—and maybe their mates' eardrums.
Echo the Lyrebird
Perhaps the most famous example of a Superb lyrebird crying like a baby is Echo, who lives at the Taronga Zoo in New South Wales, Australia. When you hear Echo crying, there is absolutely no question: that sounds exactly like the wail of a screaming infant!
Screaming or loud vocalization is a natural way for wild parrots and other birds to communicate with each other in their flock environments. They will also scream if they are alarmed. Birds will vocalize if they are frightened, bored, lonely, stressed, or unwell.
Fast Facts. The Barking Owl is named for its harsh 'barking' call but can also make a much louder, wailing cry, which has given rise to another name, the 'screaming-woman bird'.
The screaming piha (Lipaugus vociferans) is a species of passerine bird in the family Cotingidae. It is found in humid forests in the Amazon and tropical parts of the Mata Atlântica in South America. They are most notable for their extraordinarily loud voice. Screaming piha. Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil.
Calls. Cedar Waxwings have two common calls: a high-pitched, trilled bzeee and a sighing whistle, about a half-second long, often rising in pitch at the beginning.
Spotted Catbirds are named for their bizarre cat-like wailing calls (some say it sounds more like a baby crying!) which are a common sound of both lowland and higher altitude rainforests within their range. This species is especially vocal at dawn and dusk.
Australian Magpie Mimics Sound of Emergency Sirens.
The Song Sparrow is one of the most widespread birds in North America, and its melodies vary depending on where it's found. However, all of them include at least one phrase that sounds an awful lot like human whistling. The Song Sparrow is a very common bird, and you can find it almost anywhere in North America.
The most common call is a raspy mew that sounds like a cat. Catbirds also make a loud, chattering chek-chek-chek and a quiet quirt.
Brown-headed Nuthatches don't sing complicated songs, but they are plenty vocal. They make tiny squeaks that sound like a toy rubber ducky being squeezed. These wheezy 2-syllable notes emanate from the treetops year-round. They repeat each squeak 1–12 times.
What Does a Kookaburra Call Sound Like? The laughing kookaburra of Australia is known for its call, which sounds like a cackling laugh.
The white bellbird's mating call was recorded by researchers reaching peak levels of 125.4 decibels. The recordings are nine decibels louder than those of the previous record holder — the screaming piha. White bellbirds are as big as doves, weighing about 250 grams.
Brazilian Hummingbird Makes the Highest-Pitched Call Of Any Bird.
The Northern Mockingbird is typically the culprit in these all-night song marathons. Mockingbirds that sing all night long tend to be young, still-unattached males or older males who have lost their mate, and so the best way to shut him up is to entice a female mockingbird to your yard, too.
Foxes are mostly nocturnal, so you'll see (and hear) them mostly at night. A scream is the most common sound you'll hear from them. When foxes scream, it can be alarming as it sounds like a human scream.
Kookaburras mate for life. Only if one of a pair dies, does the other take a new mate. The pair search for the perfect nesting place in trees, but return to their familiar one after finding fault with all the others.