The bird sound most often described as "like a bottle" usually refers to the Pheasant Coucal (bubbling/emptying bottle), the Bittern (blowing across a wine bottle), or sometimes a Black-bellied Korhaan/Bustard (cork popping), while Australian Gang-gang Cockatoos sound like a creaky hinge or cork being pulled. The specific sound depends on if it's a deep "boom," a bubbly "oop," or a sharp "pop," but coucals and bitterns are top contenders for bottle-like sounds.
Today's #birdsongoftheday is Britain's loudest bird: the bittern! Their 'booming' has been described as a giant gulping or the sound of blowing on the top of a glass bottle (aka a very strange noise). Listen to RSPB Leighton Moss bitterns from your living room here: bit. ly/LeightonBittern #BreakfastBirdwatch.
As it seems, when the first young are ready to hatch they start a call resembling a pop-bottle rocket or even fireworks, even while still inside the egg, thus the hatching time is coordinated. Greater rheas are half-grown about three months after hatching, and sexually mature by their 14th month.
The bird that goes "woop woop woop" in Australia is the Pheasant Coucal, a large, ground-dwelling cuckoo known for its distinctive, resonant, bubbling call that sounds like "oop-oop-oop-opp" or "whoop-whoop-whoop," often heard morning and night, and sometimes mistaken for rain.
European starlings were the top imitators of R 2 D two's multiponic sounds. This is thanks to their ability to produce two tones at the same time. The skill likely stems from their use of a bird specific organ called the searings. The starlings are able to control both sides of the vocal organ independently.
The owl that most famously goes "hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo" is the Great Horned Owl, known for its deep, stuttering call, often described as "hoo-h'HOO-hoo-hoo," while the Barred Owl has a memorable "Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?" hoot, and the Tawny Owl (in Europe) does a classic "hoo-hoo". So, depending on the rhythm and region, it's likely one of these iconic hooters.
The starlings, a type of songbird, emerged as star vocalists: their ability to produce “multiphonic” noises—in their case, two different notes or tones expressed simultaneously—allowed them to replicate R2-D2's complex chirps more accurately.
Casuarius casuarius johnsonii. Southern Cassowary 🪶 Dubbed as the world's most dangerous bird, the Southern Cassowary has a vivid blue neck and striking long red wattles. If they feel threatened this flightless bird can deliver a powerful kick strong enough to break bones.
As a result, the males in particular feel compelled to start singing. They normally sing most at dawn, but in many residential and urban areas they are fooled by streetlights, porch lights, etc. These trick their bodies into believing that dawn is breaking, causing them to start singing in the middle of the night.
The Australian bird famous for its eerie, high-pitched screams at night is the Bush Stone-curlew (or Bush Thick-knee), whose call sounds like a wailing woman or baby, often startling people into thinking it's a human in distress. This nocturnal, ground-dwelling bird uses its distinctive, mournful cry for communication in open forests, grasslands, and even urban areas across Australia.
Carolina Wren: Loud and clear with rolling, repeated rhythm and usually multiple syllables per phrase. Highly varied speed and pattern, e.g., teakettle teakettle tea or Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy.
Birds tell you things through body language (like tail wagging for excitement, puffed feathers for anger/cold, or tightly held feathers for fear/alertness) and vocalizations (singing for happy, chattering for content/attention), signaling emotions, needs (hunger, fear, play), or even warnings about danger, with specific signs like eye pinning, head bobbing, or restlessness indicating interest, stress, or a need for attention, requiring context to understand.
Stock Doves are more common than you might think. They're a numerous bird but are easily mistaken for both Woodpigeons and Feral Pigeons. Thanks to a ban of a pesticide in the 1970s, Stock Dove populations have been steadily increasing and have near doubled in the past 30 years.
When you hear crows or ravens while in the woods, they might be alerting you to potential dangers nearby. These intelligent birds can sense what we can't, so pay attention to their warnings while enjoying the outdoors. Stay safe and aware in nature!
The Superb Lyrebird's song is somewhat famous. About 80% of the song consists of expert mimicry, with both and joined together in a rousing medley. Sounds can include anything heard in the bird's immediate surroundings, such as chainsaws, car engines, dog barks and local native birds.
These medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds are noted for their long wings, short legs, and stout bills. The tawny frogmouth is active at night; by day it perches in trees perfectly camouflaged. They are native to Australia and also found on Tasmania.
Birds as Spiritual Inspiration
God may send you spiritual messages through your daily interaction with birds. Wansbury writes: "These messages are words of wisdom and advice, and they can help us to identify talents we are not using, or the negative beliefs and thought patterns that are holding us back.
Birds usually make short and high sound to show danger, warning and communication, which usually starts at dawn, 3:00am – 4:00am to be precise. Scientists normally call this the “dawn chorus” and last for a number of hours.
(Mark 1:35) Birds sing early in the day before they start any of their work. They put forth their first energy of the new day proclaiming praise and a beautiful new song.
Pheasant Coucals mate for life and, unlike other Australian cuckoos, build their own nests and raise their chicks themselves. You might recognise the Pheasant Coucal by its distinctive 'oop-oop-oop-opp' call. Sometimes mates will duet, providing a concert that sounds like water bubbling from a big bottle.
Answer. The cassowary is usually considered to be the world's most dangerous bird, at least where humans are concerned, although ostriches and emus can also be dangerous.
Steve Irwin, perhaps one of the most famous animal conservationists, was rarely afraid of anything. He wrestled with crocodiles, one of the deadliest animals that kill the most humans annually, which often left him with broken bones. But there was one animal that he preferred to steer clear of: the cassowary.
Parrots are especially adept at mimicking sounds and human language. Unlike songbirds, which produce sounds by vibrating membranes in two different syrinxes, parrots have only one syrinx, located at the bottom of the windpipe.
In Henry IV, Part 1, Henry Hotspur fantasizes about training a starling to repeat “Mortimer” to goad King Henry IV into ransoming his brother-in-law. This reference implies that the starling is a brainless bird that mindlessly mimics speech: He said he would not ransom Mortimer, Forbade my tongue to speak of Mortimer.
Songs. Great Horned Owls advertise their territories 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 recognizably higher in pitch than the male's.