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'.
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.
include owls, frogmouths, nightjars, owlet-nightjars, kites (Letter-winged) and parrots (Night Parrot).
Eastern Screech-Owl
To communicate, pairs and families will make a cooing tremolo call. While some birds chirping at night repeat the same sounds, Eastern Screech-Owls are different: They can hoot, bark, and, of course, screech.
Owls are famous for their late-night hootenannies, but they aren't the only ones crooning by moonlight. Ecosystems around the planet host a surprising variety of night birds—from nightingales and mockingbirds to corncrakes, potoos, and whip-poor-wills—whose voices can be as haunting (or exciting) as any owl hoot.
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.
Usually, the male birds sing songs or chirp at night time to seek a mating partner. It is bird culture that the male tends to sing at night the most melodious and complex songs to attract mates, i.e., female partner.
A screech is a “high shrill piercing cry.” One of the most famous bird screeches is that of the red-tailed hawk, which you might recognize from movies and television shows that dub it over the less strident call of the bald eagle to make that national symbol sound tougher.
Cicadas (pronounced se-cade-ahs, in our humble opinion) are a truly iconic part of Australian summer and despite some species being capable of producing an ear-splitting call so loud it's painful for human ears (over 120 decibels), they tend to be a much-loved insect.
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'.
"You're not hearing things, our resident lyrebird Echo has the AMAZING ability to replicate a variety of calls - including a baby's cry." Echo is a superb lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae), an Australian bird named for the shape of its tail during courting, according to Britannica.
Creepy Cats
The noise of screeching bobcats has been likened to a child wailing in distress. Typically a sound made by competing males in winter during the mating season, it can be heard in many regions of North America.
The song of cicada
The sound is produced exclusively by males, who sing to attract female partners. Cicadas don't sing like humans do with their mouths. Instead, they use specialised structures called tymbals on each side of the abdomen to produce their characteristic sounds.
Cicadas are the only insects capable of producing such a unique and loud sound. Some larger species can produce a call in excess of 120 decibels at close range. This is approaching the pain threshold of the human ear!
The screamers are three South American bird species placed in family Anhimidae. They were thought to be related to the Galliformes because of similar bills, but are more closely related to ducks (family Anatidae), and most closely related to the magpie goose.
Vocalizations. The Southern Screamer has a loud, unmelodious, double-noted trumpet call. These vocalizations have been described as "a "low, throaty, almost barking, brief 'oh-WOOOW' which also sounds sometimes as 'be-SERK' " (Belton 1984).
Calls. 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.
The effect of dim light
Because even low light intensities can trigger song in some birds, and because they continue singing until the last rays of light have faded in the evening, it is easy to see how the singing period could easily be extended into the night.
Birds Take Naps
Half of a bird's brain stays active while it is resting, all thanks to the phenomenon of unihemispheric slow-wave sleep. Remaining partially alert can help birds detect potential predators and adjust to changing environmental conditions. Some birds even nap while flying.
Howler Monkey- 140 Decibels. Howler Monkeys are the loudest animal in the New World with screams that can reach 140 decibels.
Bobcats are capable of making a similar sound that will certainly get your attention if you're out in the woods. One other source of scream-like sounds surprised me — foxes. Yep, they can give you goose bumps, too.
Sydney zookeeper captures lyrebird replicating the sound of a crying baby. A zookeeper in Sydney caught a lyrebird on camera replicating the scream of a baby.
Barking Owls are also notorious for their "screaming woman" call - it is described as a scream of terrifying intensity which sounds remarkably lifelike.