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.
The Australian Golden Whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis) is a common songbird found in woodlands and forests throughout east and south-eastern Australia, as well as the south-west.
Hill mynahs (tropical members of the starling family of birds) are renowned for their ability to mimic the human voice. It has been claimed that the hill mynah is the best talking bird and the best mimic in the world.
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.
To persuade females to come close, the male lyrebird sings the most complex song he can manage. And he does that by copying the sounds of all the other birds he hears around him – including the sounds of chainsaws and camera shutters!
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.
Lewin's Honeyeaters are perhaps best known for their main territorial song, a loud machine-gun like rattle which carries quite along way, so they are more often heard than seen.
The distinct voice of the Kookaburra sounds like human laughing— some people think! They are carnivorous, preferring mice, bugs, small reptiles and snakes.
Lyrebirds are gorgeous creatures with an unusual trait–they vocalize like human babies! These aren't the only birds that make unusual sounds, but their cry may be the most troubling to hear if you don't know what it is! Let's take a closer look at the lyrebird and its unique call.
The European Starling — the continent's most abundant non-native bird — is an accomplished mimic. Starlings are especially astute imitators of bird sounds that have a whistled feel — like the sound of a Killdeer or quail. They can duplicate a car alarm or phone ring, too.
Parrots, corvids and a variety of other birds aren't the only animals that can mimic human speech. According to a study published today, an orca, Orcinus orca, has been trained to mimic human speech (ref).
Mockingbirds and starlings
The mockingbird is so-called because it copies the sounds of other birds and weaves them into its own output. The starling is another “copier”. Indeed, in North America where the starling is established coast to coast as an immigrant from Europe, it even mocks the mockingbird!
The monotonous, repetitive call of the Common Ground-Dove brings to mind sultry and languid Southern summers, when the species' plaintive call is often heard; hence the colloquial name “moaning” dove.
Named for the often-heard “curra-wong” call, Pied Currawongs make a range of other vocalisations including loud ringing calls, gurgles and whistles.
A Kookaburra Call or Laugh
The distinct voice of the Kookaburra sounds like human laughing— some people think!
What is it? If you're in grasslands or fields in Wyoming and you keep getting whistled at, you're hearing an upland sandpiper! These birds use their distinctive song to defend their breeding territory and attract mates.
If you've heard the sound of a bird that sounds like laughing you've probably already heard the call of the green woodpecker. The green woodpecker's call is one of the most readily identifiable sounds in nature so it isn't surprising that many local names for the green woodpecker are onomatopoeic.
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.
"This species is sometimes known as the Storm-bird or Stormbird." The Australian Museum says the Channel-billed Cuckoo lays its eggs in the nests of the Australian Magpie, Gymnorhina tibicen, the Pied Currawong, Strepera graculina and members of the crow family (Corvidae).
Laughing kookaburra
This nostalgic Australian icon can be found in open forests across the country, particularly in gumtrees, and are often heard in suburbs around the Adelaide Hills. Its loud cackle of 'koo-koo-koo-koo-koo-kaa-kaa-kaa' is often sung in a chorus with other kookaburras.
Imagine a sound vaguely like a cricket or grasshopper chirp. That is basically the essence of the song of a bird called the Henslow's sparrow.
The lyrebird is considered one of Australia's best-known birds — you might recognise them from our 10 cent coin — but do we really know them? Famed for their spectacular courtship display, you may have seen footage of lyrebirds mimicking human noises such as chainsaws and camera clicks.
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.
The Pheasant coucal for me is the essence of the wet season in Queensland. The echoing call of the whoop whoop bird soothes my soul and reassures me that I am really home.