Bird Behavior

Hawk calls range from the red-tailed hawk’s iconic descending scream to the sharper, repeated calls of red-shouldered hawks and forest-hunting accipiters.

A guide to owl sounds and how to identify owl calls by species, from hoots to screeches to trills. Learn what owls sound like at night, what their calls mean, and which birds sound like owls.

Barn Owl sounds are eerie screeches, hisses, and snores rather than hoots. Here is what each Barn Owl call means, why they inspired ghost legends, and when you will hear them.

Eastern Screech-Owl sounds are not screeches at all but a soft descending whinny and an even trill. Here is what each call means, when you will hear it, and how to identify it.

Great Horned Owl sounds are the deep, classic hoots most people picture when they imagine an owl. Here is what each call means, why males and females duet, and when you will hear them.

The Barred Owl call is the famous ‘Who cooks for you?’ hoot heard across eastern forests. Here is what each Barred Owl sound means, when you will hear it, and how to identify it.

No living bird has true teeth, but the story is more interesting than a simple no. Here is how birds eat without teeth and why they lost them.

Birds sleep standing on one leg, perched in trees, and even with half their brain awake. Here is how, where, and how long birds actually sleep.

Most birds mate through a brief cloacal kiss, not the anatomy people expect. Here is exactly how bird reproduction works, from courtship to fertile eggs.

Birds fly using lift from airfoil wings and thrust from flapping, all in an ultralight body. Learn the physics of bird flight, soaring, and wing shapes.