An owl heard is as good as an owl seen. At to the lowest degree, that's what you tin can tell yourself the next time you lot eavesdrop on 1 but tin can't actually spot information technology (they are slap-up at camouflage). These beloved raptors are known for their impressive hoots, of course, simply their language consists of a multitude of sounds: yelps, whistles, barks, and beak snaps, just to name a few. Hither are 5 mutual N American species and their nearly oft-used calls.

All recordings are from Lang Elliott's birdsong collection, featured in Audubon's Birds of North America Field Guide and our free Audubon Bird Guide app.

Barred Owl

Mind:

"Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you?"

No, that isn't your mother yelling at y'all through the forest: It's a beautiful Barred Owl, just begging for some well-deserved appreciation. This call is often used among the species, and consists of two rhythmic phrases, with the last syllable drawn out the longest. Barred Owls are found in the eastern one-half of the United states, along with some parts of the Pacific Northwest and Canada.

Barn Owl

Barn Owl. Shlomo Neuman/Audubon Photography Awards

Listen:

Though the Barn Owl may expect elegant, its vocalization is anything but. Information technology mainly relies on a set of high-pitched screams to communicate—either a k-r-r-r-r-ick to advertise itself to other members of its species, or a longer, more forceful shriek to signal distress or a alarm. Y'all can hear their calls near anywhere in the Lower 48 (with the exception of a few northern states), likewise as five other continents.

Eastern Screech-Owl

Eastern Screech-Owl. Jen St. Louis/Audubon Photography Awards

Heed:

When you think of an Eastern Screech-Owl, think of a horse on helium: The picayune raptor lets out a descending whinny, capped off with a trill. (Males ordinarily call at a lower pitch than females.) In full general, the bird is a chief of vibrato; it uses a monotonic and soothing trill to converse with its kin, likewise. The screech-owls out West, meanwhile, have a call that sounds more than like an errant bouncy brawl.

Dandy Horned Owl

Great Horned Owl. Christopher Schwarz/Audubon Photography Awards

Mind:

This tufted, yellowish-eyed fellow is the owl world'south version of Barry White. Its gravelly hoots carry far, and sound almost similar a deadened foghorn from a distance. When pairs chant together the female goes first, followed closely by the male. The 2d and tertiary hoots in their series tend to be the shortest. Great Horned Owls can be found all over the continental Usa, Alaska, and well-nigh of Canada.

Burrowing Owl

Burrowing Owl. Judy Lynn Malloch/Audubon Photography Awards

Listen:

If you lot live along the southern edge of the United States or in Mexico, you get to hang out with the charming Burrowing Owl all twelvemonth long! Mind for a unproblematic coo-coooo, coo-coooo, with a gentle little wheeze at the end: That'southward the species' primary call. Sometimes the owls volition rely on audio as a defence, mimicking rattlesnakes to keep encroaching predators away from their precious burrows. Hear more about that beliefs in this BirdNote podcast.