![]() ![]() ![]() Illinois owl species can share a habitat. “Sometimes, in response to a recorded call, barred owls, usually a male and female, can be heard caterwauling (hooting loudly) to each other. “Most owls respond to prerecorded calls, especially during the breeding season,” Beveroth said. The barn owl emits a blood-curdling scream in the darkness, and the barred owl’s call sounds like, “Who, who cooks for you”?Īs part of the INHS Monitoring for Owls and Nightjars (MOON) Program, Beveroth’s volunteers learn to distinguish the calls of owls and nightjars, then drive routes that consist of 10 roadside stops, listening for 6 minutes at each stop. Screech owl calls sound like a horse’s whinny, and the great horned owl, the bird of storybooks, produces the well-known hooting sound. They are territorial creatures and use their calls to warn others to stay off their turf.Įach owl species has a unique call. Owls typically call most often at dawn and dusk, but on a clear, moonlit night with little wind, some may be heard calling periodically throughout the night. The barn owl occurs globally but was listed as Illinois-endangered in 1977 and is currently considered a threatened species in the state, according to Tara Beveroth, avian researcher and monitoring coordinator, Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois. Four species of owls are year-round Illinois residents, the barn owl, screech owl, barred owl, and great horned owl (also known as the hoot owl). Today, owls are considered to be creatures of beauty, wise and mysterious birds that are hunters of the night. In Medieval Europe, owls were thought to be witches and an owl’s call meant someone was about to die. – “Birds of omen, dark and foul,” wrote Sir Walter Scott about owls, once considered harbingers of doom, death, and destruction. Match the call to the corresponding species listed here:Īt the end of hearing the five calls, you will then hear the calls again with the answer.CHAMPAIGN, Ill. To try your hand at identifying these species and a couple of others, listen to the audio below. There are five owl calls that you will hear, with an assigned number. The tooting sounds like a loud repeated whistle and is most common in the late winter and early spring breeding season, he said. Brady said that their calls can range from "cat-like meows, to little barks mixed in, plus the regular tooting," he said. Northern saw-whet owls are Wisconsin's smallest species, and can be difficult to identify by their calls. Schwartz noted that this is the perfect time of year to hear screech owls calling. “It’s somewhat haunting, especially if you don't know what it is." "It chased me out of the woods,” he said. He described its call as “kind of like a descending whinny.”īrady remembers hearing a screech owl for the first time as a young person in the night woods of Pennsylvania. The eastern screech owl has a very different - and unforgettable - sound, according to Ryan Brady, a research scientist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Bureau of Wildlife Management. "That’s one that's always cool to hear in the woods,"" he said. Schwartz said that for barred owls, their call is described as sounding like "who cooks for you, who cooks for you all."" He added that barred owls will often be heard near water, due to the habitiat of the snakes and amphibians they tend to feed on. ![]() ![]() Their vocalizations can also be difficult to identify because each species has a range of sounds that it makes in different seasons and situation, according to Carl Schwartz, the former president of the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology.īirders often use memory and identification techniques that help to pinpoint which bird they are hearing. Owls can be difficult to detect because they often hunt at night, and because their wings are designed for silent flight. Around Halloween especially, owls have a moment in the spotlight. Wisconsin is fortunate to be home to several species - so listen up and learn to identify their calls! ![]()
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