Many people hear strange or unfamiliar bird sounds at night and wonder what bird it is and why they are vocalizing after dark. Nocturnal bird sounds can be alarming or annoying if you don’t know what species is making the noise. By learning more about the bird species active at night in your area, you can identify the birds by their unique calls and behaviors.
What birds are most vocal at night?
There are a few key groups of birds that are most likely to be making noise at night:
- Owls
- Nighthawks
- Rails
- Nightjars
- Thrushes
- Cuckoos
- Grebes
- Wrens
- Sparrows
- Geese
- Cranes
- Coots
- Woodcocks
Birds vocalize at night for territorial purposes, to attract mates, to communicate with their families, or when stressed or alarmed. Migration also occurs at night for many bird species, so unusual bird calls may be from migrating flocks passing over.
Identifying owls by sound
Of all nocturnal bird groups, owls are the most frequently heard making distinct calls, hoots, or screeches at night. Owls are highly territorial and use vocalizations to communicate with mates and defend territories. Here are some tips for identifying owls by sound:
Barred Owl – The Barred Owl’s call is a distinctive hooting that sounds like: “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?”
Eastern Screech Owl – This small owl makes a haunting, tremulous whinny or descending whinny.
Great Horned Owl – The largest owl in North America makes a deep soft hooting often written as “hoo hoo hooooo hoo.”
Northern Saw-whet Owl – A repetitive too-too-too call is made by this small owl.
Identifying nighthawks
Nighthawks are not hawks at all, they are actually members of the nightjar family. Their vocalizations are loud, buzzy peents or Beale calls. Common Nighthawks can be seen in migration making their peent call continuously as they fly over cities.
Identifying rails and coots
Several wetland birds are active and noisy at night, especially in the spring and summer breeding season. Rails, gallinules, and coots live in marshy areas and all have a variety of cackling, clucking, and grunting sounds. The most common species in North America include:
Sora – High whinnying calls
Virginia Rail – Grunting sounds
American Coot – Loud, laughing kazoo-like calls
Identifying nightjars
Nightjars are a family of nocturnal birds including nighthawks, whip-poor-wills, and chuck-will’s-widows. They get their name from their loud, jarring calls. Their vocalizations are often described as a buzzing, rattling, or reverberating sound. Common calls include:
Whip-poor-will – A loud, repetitive “whip-poor-will.”
Chuck-will’s-widow – A raspy “chuck-will’s-widow” call.
Identifying cuckoos
Several cuckoo species have distinct nighttime vocalizations. These species are active at dawn and dusk and sometimes call into the night. Listen for:
Yellow-billed Cuckoo – Distinctive “kowlp” sounds.
Black-billed Cuckoo – A series of soft coos and croaks.
Identifying grebes
Grebes perform elaborate mating displays and calls at night. In the spring and summer, listen for the whinnying, howling, or groaning calls of courting grebes on lakes and wetlands. These include:
Pied-billed Grebe – A loud, yodeling trill.
Horned Grebe – A high-pitched squealing call.
Identifying wrens
A few wren species sing beautiful, complex songs at night. Listen for:
Cactus Wren – A beautiful cascading song of whistles, warbles, and trills.
Canyon Wren – A cascading torrent of gurgling notes.
Identifying thrushes
Many thrush species migrate at night and can be heard calling to stay in contact with their flock. Common vocalizations include:
Swainson’s Thrush – A spiraling twitter call.
Hermit Thrush – A flute-like ouwheeoee call.
Identifying sparrows and blackbirds
Some sparrow and blackbird species are active at dawn and dusk. Before settling down to roost, they may chatter, chirp, and twitter. Listen for:
Song Sparrow – Chirping and buzzing sounds.
Yellow-headed Blackbird – Harsh check and tek calls.
Identifying waterfowl
Ducks, geese, and swans are active at night, especially during migration. Flocks may pass overhead or call back and forth to each other while feeding. Common vocalizations include:
Canada Goose – Honking calls
American Wigeon – Quiet wheeking
Mallard – Raspy quacking
Wood Duck – High pitched squeals
Identifying cranes
Large, loud flocks of cranes migrate at night. Their loud calls can wake people up and create quite a commotion as they pass over. Listen for:
Sandhill Crane – Rattling bugle calls
Whooping Crane – Loud, trumpeting calls
Conclusion
While many birds are quiet at night, dozens of species regularly vocalize after dark for various reasons. By learning the typical nighttime calls for owls, nightjars, waterbirds, and others in your area, you can solve the mystery and identify what birds are calling outside your window when you hear them. Pay attention to the time of year as well, since seasonal events like migration, pair bonding, and nesting affect nighttime bird vocalizations. With a little practice, you can master identifying birds by their sounds, even in the middle of the night!
Bird Group | Example Species | Typical Nighttime Vocalizations |
---|---|---|
Owls | Barred Owl | Hooting |
Nightjars | Whip-poor-will | Buzzing and rattling sounds |
Rails and Coots | Sora | Whinnying calls |
Cuckoos | Yellow-billed Cuckoo | “Kowlp” sounds |
Grebes | Pied-billed Grebe | Loud yodeling |
Wrens | Canyon Wren | Cascading gurgling notes |
Thrushes | Swainson’s Thrush | Spiraling twitter calls |
Sparrows | Song Sparrow | Chirping and buzzing |
Waterfowl | Canada Goose | Honking |
Cranes | Sandhill Crane | Rattling bugle calls |