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 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.
Barking Owls are also notorious for their "screaming woman" call - it is described as a scream of terrifying intensity which sounds remarkably lifelike. This is not a common call and more likely to be used outside the breeding season.
Lyrebirds really are capable of sounding like screaming babies! The idea of walking through the rainforest and hearing the sound of wailing, crying baby in the distance is a bit eerie, isn't it?
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.
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. This is somewhat similar to humans, who also have only one sound-producing organ, the larynx.
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.
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'.
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.
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.
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.
In fact, the White Bellbird has the loudest bird call ever documented, according to a paper published today in the journal Current Biology. Its short, booming, two-part call is three times the sound pressure level—a measure of sound intensity—of the Screaming Piha's call, the previous record-holder.
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.
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.
Danger. The night chirps of birds can be a warning signal as they have a swift danger sensing ability. Most of the time, when the birds shift their places, they feel fearful of the surroundings, which also results in high tone noise levels at night to stay alert or to seek help from fellow birds.
The sulphur-crested cockatoo is known to scream when they are bored, hungry or wanting attention.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Steller's Jays
Native to the Western United States and portions of Canada, this jay is another intelligent bird capable of amazing mimicry. In particular, these jays are known to mimic the sounds of loud alarms and, especially, ambulance sirens.
"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).
Some of the species of toothed whales like dolphins and porpoises such as beluga whales and orca can imitate the patterns of human speech. NOC, a captive beluga whale in the United States Navy's Cold Ops program, could mimic some words well enough to confuse Navy divers on at least one occasion.
To compensate they are looking for the social interaction, and this leads to mimicing human voices and household sounds.