You think of spring as a time of melodious bird songs, with songs from house finches and robins. There is another bird, the yellow-headed blackbird, that has a call that sounds like a heavy door swinging on squeaky hinges. That is the most complimentary description I can find.
The squeaky-gate call of the gang-gang cockatoo is one of the distinctive sounds of Canberra. Though listed as vulnerable in New South Wales, these ash grey birds - especially the males with their fiery red heads - are a common sight in parks and suburban gardens in the national capital.
The Dunnock exhibits a call that tends to serve a number of functions, including a regular contact call, an alarm call and as a display call. It's a monosyllabic and strongly uninflected 'piping' note, transliterated as "tiiih." It's often likened to a 'squeaky wheelbarrow' or gate.
Which bird makes this distinctive sound? It's a Kookaburra! The loud distinctive call of the laughing kookaburra is widely used as a stock sound effect in situations that involve an Australian bush setting or tropical jungle, especially in older movies.
The noisy friarbird (Philemon corniculatus) is a passerine bird of the honeyeater family Meliphagidae native to southern New Guinea and eastern Australia. It is one of several species known as friarbirds whose heads are bare of feathers.
kookaburra, also called laughing kookaburra or laughing jackass, (species Dacelo novaeguineae), eastern Australian bird of the kingfisher family (Alcedinidae), whose call sounds like fiendish laughter.
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.
Steller's Jays
In particular, these jays are known to mimic the sounds of loud alarms and, especially, ambulance sirens. They are sometimes referred to as 'the noisy jay' because they can make a variety of very loud noises.
A plain brown sparrow in Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Ga., the endangered Bachman's sparrow, makes itself pretty scarce most of the year. But during breeding season it sits atop a stem or branch and sings out, "here kitty kitty kitty" three times, each phrase in a different octave.
Unlike other wren species such as the Canyon Wren, in which both sexes have distinctive songs, only the male Carolina Wren sings, belting out a loud "tea-kettle tea-kettle tea-kettle" or "cheery-cheery-cheery." But listen closely and sometimes you'll hear his mate chime in with an enthusiastic, drawn-out trill ...
The noisy friarbird (Philemon corniculatus) is a passerine bird of the honeyeater family Meliphagidae native to southern New Guinea and eastern Australia. It is one of several species known as friarbirds whose heads are bare of feathers.
Flying Whimbrels often give a series of mellow, piping whistles, all on the same pitch, very similar to other curlews, and a soft, whistled cur-lee.
Hear the “kazoo opera” sound of the Wedge-tailed Shearwater: The best way to describe the call is to imagine a group of thousands of birds with kazoos taped to their bills. It is quite comical and I spent a good part of my first night laughing to myself in my tent.
XC340124 This first recording features typical song from a male Australian Golden Whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis youngi) – a series of near identical short phrases, each containing 7-9 clear alternating whistled notes which build in volume and end with two sharper, louder notes.
Willie Wagtails often sing through the night, especially in spring and summer and on moonlit nights. Recorded in Wollemi National Park, New South Wales. Willie Wagtail Calls & Song. The sounds of a Willie Wagtail singing in the Australian bush.
Broad-winged Hawks give a plaintive, high-pitched whistle that lasts 2–4 seconds, with a short first note and a long second note: kee-eee.
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.
Yellow-headed blackbirds need a strong display presentation to go with their squeaky hinge songs. These blackbirds cling to a cattail, spread their tail feathers, half open their wings and lean forward to emit their squeaky song.
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.
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!
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.
American Robins often make a mumbled cuck or tuk to communicate with each other or a sharp yeep or peek as an alarm call. They also make a repeated chirr that rises in volume and can sound like a laugh or chuckle.
The most common call of the Brown-headed Nuthatch, a high-pitched, squeaky chee-da, recalls the sound of air escaping a squeeze-toy. Together, a vocalizing flock of Brown-headed Nuthatches sounds like a small flotilla of rubber duckies.
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.
A fortnight after five lions escaped at Sydney's Taronga Zoo, an amused zoo visitor captured footage of Echo the superb lyrebird as he mimicked alarm sirens and evacuation calls with astonishing accuracy. News outlets were quick to link the lyrebird's alarm impersonation with the lions' great escape.