Screaming bird in the night.

[jenny parker]

Hi, i live in Hampshire near lots of trees and every night i hear this almighty screaming and then a softer noise, i'm thinking its a bird as the noise moves away quickly and then comes back. its a hugh noise and sometimes quite scary. it only happens are night when it is dark. I'd love to know what it is. Help.

[Lil O'lady]

SOunds like owls hunting to me. Owls screech - usually a single long note, maybe going up slightly at the end. The softer 'ooo' is another owl answering back. Owls don't actually call twit-twoooo - that's a mythunderstanding!
The single screech can be very unnerving if you aren't expecting it.

[wildwood]

I agree it is most likely an owl.

Although there is a small possibility that if this happens in the morning, just before dawn, it could be crows. In some districts they have learned to purposely crash into trees/large shrubs and scare small roosting birds out which are easy prey when it is still dark. They can also make an eerie unnerving call.

[Ethel]

You can hear a barn owl here:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name /b/barnowl/index.asp

And the other birds too on that site.

Try all the owls and the grey heron, which can be a bit of night time screecher
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name /g/greyheron/index.asp

[DrFilth]

i live in a town and i heard two birds screaming last night i think it was to much vodka in the local

[Ethel]

Foxes screech and scream too - listen to all the fox noises here:

http://www.angelfire.com/ar2/thefoxden/sounds. html

So do cats.

[raysparx1]

It will be an owl it is the female, the male does the towit to woo bit and the female screeches, like humans really.

[Ethel]

Sorry Ray - but one owl twits and the other owl twoos in response.

You can hear a pair of tawnies twit twooing here:

http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/tawnyowl.h tm

[raysparx1]

Hi Ethel But it is the female that screeches, or have I got that bit wrong?

[raysparx1]

PS Ethel, I am thinking of the barn owl with the screeching noise.

[Ethel]

And more here about the beautiful tawny and its duet:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfile s/207.shtml

I used to volunteer at my local conservation centre and a firm favourite was the nighttime bugs, bats and owls walks where children and adults would listen to the owl responding to a recording twit we broadcast.

[raysparx1]

Cheers Ethel great links, have stored them in favourites,

[Ethel]

Both male and female barns screech, Ray, but the male has the stronger screech,

I love owls and am fortunate to see them often.

[raysparx1]

Cheers Ethel, I thought it was just the female barn owl that did that, we also love owls and have a few nesting in the forest behind our cottage, I find it very reassuring when I hear them as I take it as sign that nature is thriving well where I live, plenty of food for all that lives there. thanks again Ethel, your knowledge inspires me.

[Ethel]

Yes, I am always please to see small bird predators such as magpies and crows - which is strange to a lot of people but it is a sure sign of a very successful breeding year for the small birds.

[showcatbenga]

The noises you are hearing might be foxes or if there is a field nearby, lamas! We spent most of one summer wondering what a particular call was only to find out it was a lama! lol.

[woofgang]

a real "woman" being knifed" scream could be a peacock

[Kleiber]

Tawny owls or maybe Little Owls - do you have them in Hampshire? I had a similar thing last spring (they haven't started yet!) and I contacted the RSPB, who were very helpful in identification. Mine sounded like what I can only describe as giant guinea pigs!! It turned out they were tawny owls sorting their territories out and apparently, little owls are very territorial and very noisy, too!

[burnhal]

Lets try and clear some of the confusion here
Tawny owl- the familair tuwit, tuwoo- there is intense debate as to which partner does which bit! The tuwit is more accurately kirrick and is the males territiorial call. The hoo-hoo bit is believed to be used by both birds. However both do use a screech particularly during territiorial disputes.
The barn owl is known also as the screech owl and it does screech!!
DOnt forget we also have long-eared and short eared owls- ingonroing the Little Owl as it is about mostly in the day.
Long eared- male is hoo-hoo-hoo, females is a hoot
Short-eared- a series of rising and falling hoots.
So likely to be a barn methinks. though wouldnt tend to describe it as a huge sound.
Badgers and foxes also scream- though not so much at this time of year. A vixens scream is quite unearthly!