Some nature lovers find these noises pleasing and to be honest, not all of them are that bad.Are owl hoots at night a sign of bad luck? The old wives’ tales on owls hooting are endless.People all over the world have their own misconceptions or superstitious beliefs about this bird of prey. Some even think it is a bad omen. Owls are of many types, while most of them are nocturnal there are some diurnal species and activities both during the day as well as night. This is why when you go to an area near the forest you often hear screams and screeches. Most owls hunt at night. Male owls can be very territorial especially once the mating cycle begins. Owls attack people when they enter an owl’s territory. They have sharp claws as they are birds of prey and an owl’s attacking skills are impressive. But luckily they give several warnings before pouncing on you. When you hear owls hooting or when they begin to make any weird noises it is your cue to leave. Why are owls hooting at night hard to spot? Owls are usually in a tree cavity or an occupied space on treetops so it is unlikely to see them. They are also well camouflaged. Owls are birds that are heard before seen. An owl hoot is not as pleasant as that of a dove. In fact, it can even be annoying at times. However, it has never failed to pique the curiosity in people. Most people still have several questions like why do owls hoot or why are hooting at night loud or why they hoot at all.If you are one of those curious little explorers keep reading and do check out our other related articles on why do birds sing and why do birds chirp at night.When do owls usually hoot?Owls make low wavering noises called hoots. Almost all owls are nocturnal and tend to be super active and hunt at night. This is why owls hoot at night. People who burn the midnight oil are called night owls. This is also because of the nocturnal behavior of owls. They are boisterous in the late evenings and are heard before sunrise as well. Hearing an owl hoot is rare during the day.There are a lot of folklores behind this. Some even say it’s a bad omen or something bad might happen after hearing an owl hooting at night. In India, an owl is considered the Goddess of peril and misfortune popularly called the Alakshmi’s savari. However, in Greece, people believe that an owl is a sacred animal of the Goddess Athena. Hence, seeing an owl or hearing owls hoot at night is seen as a stroke of good luck. However, the scientific reasons as to why owls hoot at night are simple. For starters, they are territorial, and in an attempt to keep other owls off their territory and establish dominance they hoot. Most of the territorial calls begin in the late evenings. It is also proven that they hoot to make other species of owl within the same area aware of their presence. This does not mean that they don’t hoot in broad daylight. Diurnal and occasionally diurnal owls such as the short-eared owl, great horned owl, eastern screech owl, and snowy owl can be spotted actively hooting during the day And then there are owls like the barred owls that can hoot at any time of the day. Adult male and female owl hoots are heard during the mating season to attract potential mates, which differ from species to species. The male owl tends to hoot a bit during these seasons, which usually begins in winter or summer, as a courtship display to attract female owls. The juvenile owl’s hoot is often heard in their first winter. They do make continuous whimpering sounds while tearing and coming out of the eggs. Hooting might look like an easy task but it is just as tough as a human learning to speak. So juveniles might take their own time and can hoot at different times of the day whenever they are active. The changes in moon phases can also have an impact on owl hoots. They hoot at night, making louder noises than usual during the no moon days. However, the Eurasian eagle owl is an anomaly and tends to be louder during full moon days. They can also produce a low-pitched sound like bark or hiss when they feel threatened or witness a predator.Are hoots a form of communication?Primarily an owl hoot is used to communicate. They communicate with each other by making other sounds that differ from species to species.Owls do not use any modern day technology to talk with each other. Though owls are shy and generally silent, they still have to communicate certain messages. Based on certain assumptions experts have categorized their calls. There are different types of calls or hoots based on the type of owl. For instance, a barred owl is quite often spotted on a tree nest making classic hoots or calls. Other owls, like the great horned owl and eastern screech owl, make pairs of hoots and whinny trill calls. A burrowing owl produces a short two-note coo-like call. Some bird lovers find these calls mesmerizing while others find these calls extremely annoying. If you pay keen attention to the calls you hear you might notice the difference. These sounds also differ based on the nature of the call.Courship calls: during the mating season, the male owl generally emits two continuous call sounds to attract potential mates. This bird is romantic too and can be seen dueting with mates. They make a low pitched hoot when in danger. The female tends to respond to the calls of the male with a bit of high-pitched hooting. Shrieking and screaming sounds are also emitted by nocturnal owls while fighting with one another or hunting.Defense hoots: similar to dogs owls, they use growls and barks to keep predators at bay. When another bird of prey is spotted near the nest of an owl, it starts snarling until the predator leaves. They will start attacking shortly after this.Territorial hoots: Owls are also well mannered and will hoot to check for the presence of other owls before occupying a hunting space or territory. They mostly occupy the nests of other birds instead of building one of their own. They check for the presence of other birds before occupying the nest.Startled hoots: many a time people wonder why the hoots of an owl are similar to the bill clattering sounds of a stork. This clacking noise is made when they feel threatened. Just like how our teeth shiver in cold their beaks also clatter when they are anxious or scared. You don’t often hear this noise as it is low pitched.Mate choice: some owls don’t find a mate even till January and continue hooting in hopes of finding a mate. This sound made by an owl, unlike other hoots, is pleasant to hear. Juveniles in the nest often make continuous low whimpering sounds to indicate they are hungry and that they need food. When the male and female owls hear this they come rushing back from the food search as this noise is also easily identified by predators at night. Once they hear the call sounds it is just a race between the parents and the predators to get to the nest first.Safety calls: they also hoot while hunting to let the mates know their location. Forests are dangerous even for a bird of prey like the owl. They might need backup when faced with a predator. Only an owl can confirm how much of this is true. In Europe, the calls made by the collared dove are often confused with an owl’s call. A burrowing owl, one of the nocturnal owls produces a coo coo like hoot, which is often mistaken for a cuckoo call.Seasonal hoots: owls hoot throughout the year. In spring you will mostly hear the feeble noises of the hatchlings. In summer, these noises die down as the hatchlings grow. Again in the fall, you start hearing duets as the mating cycle continues.Do all owls hoot?All owls do hoot. A regular owl hooting at night can also produce noises that differ.They make shrieks, screams, growls, barks, hisses, coos as well as whistles. The most common sound is the shrieks of young owls at night. It is very similar to the whimpering sound of a hurt dog. Most of the juvenile owls do not learn to hoot until their first winter or summer. Until then in order to communicate they make all sorts of noises possible. The hoot of a barn owl is quite different from that of the other owls. It is more like a loud sharp scream. The great horned owls make stuttering sounds, which are very different from the barn owl hoots. Adult owls, right after hearing these noises, rush to the kids to protect them or to attend to their needs. The calls vary from time to time. The tone and sound differ just like in humans. We do not talk the same way in every situation. We tend to use high-pitched screams when in danger or a husky voice hen in a library. All this applies to an owl too. Different owl species can even understand each other. This is because the hoots or any other call sounds made by birds are more like a universal language. This might be a bit odd during the breeding season as who would like others to listen to their personal conversations. However, the message delivered through a particular sound might vary between different types of owls. It is unlikely that one owl species responds to another owl species. An owl hooting can just be as perplexing to other owls as it is to us. Owls are capable of specifically detecting the sound of their mate and kids, which allows them to communicate on a very busy night amidst the hoots of other owls. Female owls also sing duets out of love when the male owls bring them food, which also increases the chances of laying fertile eggs.How do owls hoot?All birds have an organ called the syrinx which helps them produce noises. In owls and other related species, it is placed at the bronchi. Syrinx is a Greek word meaning pan pipes. When air passes through the walls of the syrinx, it vibrates producing a sound. How an owl hoots, depends upon the type of owl.Owls like barn owls make noises that are very different from the hooting of a normal owl. They make loud, higher pitched screams that last for about two seconds. If you listen to this hoot in the middle of the night you will definitely jump out of your bed. The snowy owl hooting can be heard from long distances. They emit loud, booming hoo, hoo noises. The barred owl produces eight to nine notes. ntering the territory of this strictly nocturnal bird might anger them pushing them to produce harsh continuous sounds. This is a warning sign to keep you off their space. Sometimes when you enter the territory of an owl instead of hooting they suddenly appear in front of you scaring you pretty badly. This might haunt victims for several nights.There are 250 species of owls. Owls need a lot of space to hunt. This is one of the main reasons why several species are endangered. A major part of their habitat is now being used by human beings. Blakiston’s fish owl, a territorial bird is one of the rarest owls in the world. The northern hawk-owl and the northern pygmy owl are some of the diurnal owls. Did you know, an owl spends most of its time trying to hunt its prey. Owls also have excellent vision and three eyelids. They can also hear very well. The next time you spot an owl refrain from making noises as they attack when they are threatened.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for why do owls hoot then why not take a look at why do birds fly, or barred owl facts pages?
Some nature lovers find these noises pleasing and to be honest, not all of them are that bad.
