Sydney Taronga Zoo lyrebird: The amazing - and devastating - reason this bird mimicked an alarm siren.
Absurd Creature of the Week: The Bird That Does Unbelievable Impressions of Chainsaws, Car Alarms. Behold the superb lyrebird, whose calls are surely the most impressive in the animal kingdom.
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. What is this?
Fire alarms, car alarms, and the worst of them – the alarm clock! Mother Nature also has an alarm clock, but thankfully, it is not as rude as that last one. The blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is native to North America and is one noisy, bold and aggressive bird.
Fast Facts. The Eastern Koel is a migratory species that arrives in Australia from south-east Asia to breed in spring. Although rarely seen, the Koel is well known to many Australians for its loud, repetitive calls, particularly in the early morning.
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.
You may have noticed a cacophony of birdsong in the wee hours of the morning. Scientists call this the dawn chorus. It can start as early as 4:00 a.m. and last several hours. Birds can sing at any time of day, but during the dawn chorus their songs are often louder, livelier, and more frequent.
Birds give alarm calls when they see a predator, and in many cases they even have calls specific to an avian predator like a hawk or owl.
Found in the mountain forests of the north-eastern Amazon—”in the Guianas, with small numbers in Venezuela and the Brazilian state of Pará“—the birds' call sounds metallic, like an electronic warning system alarm. Hear the white bellbird, the loudest bird ever recorded, in the above video by Anselmo d'Affonseca.
Weight is also a key factor in this type of technology and there are motion sensors with pet immunity settings. Most of these types of sensors will not trigger the alarm if the pet weighs anywhere from up to 40 to up to 80 pounds. This eliminates most dogs, and all smaller animals like birds, cats, ferrets, and snakes.
Brewer's Blackbirds often make a tchup or chuk similar to the calls of other blackbirds, and used in a manner scientists have called “conversational in nature.” A more intense, slightly higher pitched version of this call is used as an alarm, to chase off intruders, and when carrying food for young.
Eastern Screech-Owl
Like the Barred Owl, Eastern Screech-Owls produce an impressive array of nighttime sounds. When defending territory, males employ a whinnying call to warn off potential intruders.
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.
It's the American woodcock, a member of the shorebird family.
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.
Snow Geese are possibly the noisiest of all waterfowl. Their main call, made by both males and females, is a nasal, one-syllable honk given at any hour of the day or night, at any time of year, in the air or on the ground.
Like many owls, Barred Owls initiate their vocal courtship in winter. And they're among the most vocal. These owls have more than a dozen calls, ranging from a "siren call" to a "wail" to a wonderfully entertaining "monkey call." Barred Owls are among the largest owls in North America.
Greater Sooty Owls make a number of different vocalisations. The typical call is a short, descending screech which can sound like a whistle if heard from a distance. This call is often called the 'falling-bomb whistle'.
It can benefit from constant adjustment to flock-mates' sensitivities and take-off times, and adjustment to one's own current weight, which varies rapidly in birds. My “fire drill” hypothesis posits that because of these potential benefits, false alarm flighting is a kind of beneficial motor practice.
They might be warning others of the threat, but they might also be telling the predator, "I've seen you." Yorzinski used a ring of directional microphones around a birdcage to record the songs of dark-eyed juncos, yellow-rumped warblers, house finches and other birds as they were shown a stuffed owl.
Alarm Calls: These sharp, piercing calls are used to warn other birds of danger, and birds will use them when they feel threatened. Alarm calls are typically short but loud and sharp and can carry over great distances. They are also often quick noises that can be repeated rapidly to warn of even greater danger.
For many years, the prevailing theory was that those early hours are typically the coolest and driest hours of the day which allowed bird songs to travel the farthest, giving their voices better range. It's sending a message to other males that they should stay away…and the farther away the better.
In the morning, we hear the sound of the birds, vegetable man, newspaper, boy's bicycle and the talks of school man.
Birds chirp — you could also say they tweet, twitter, cheep, and warble — and some insects chirp too.