Leslie Massey
Nocturnal animals make a variety of strange sounds in the night, from low growls to high-pitched squeals. These sounds can be unsettling, especially when the animals are in your home. While it can be challenging to identify the source of these noises, some common culprits include insects, frogs, birds, and mammals. Raccoons, for example, are known to make loud thumping noises at night, while owls may produce distinctive screeches or hoots. In Australia, the Large-tailed Nightjar, a nocturnal bird found in Queensland, is known for its chopping or knocking calls, which sound like distant knocking on wood.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the animal | Large-tailed Nightjar |
| Geographical distribution | Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, New Guinea, and tropical Australia |
| Time of making knocking sound | After dusk or before dawn |
| Other sounds made by the animal | Frog-like croaking, soft growls, grunting calls, hisses |
| Appearance | Intricately patterned plumage |
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What You'll Learn
Nocturnal birds like the Large-tailed Nightjar
The Large-tailed Nightjar is a fascinating bird with a variety of intriguing characteristics. It has a long tail, as its name suggests, and its plumage is typically brown or grey with streaks of lighter colours. The bird's eyes are large and adapted for night vision, allowing it to navigate and hunt effectively in the dark.
One of the most distinctive features of the Large-tailed Nightjar is its call, which is often described as a knocking sound. Its call consists of a series of rapid, rhythmic knocks that can be heard echoing through the Australian night. The sound is created by the bird's unique syrinx, a muscular organ in the bird's throat that produces complex sounds.
The Large-tailed Nightjar is a nocturnal hunter, using its excellent night vision and stealth to capture insects and small animals. It typically feeds on moths, beetles, and other insects that are active at night. The bird's cryptic plumage helps it blend seamlessly into its surroundings, allowing it to ambush its prey with precision.
The breeding habits of the Large-tailed Nightjar are also quite fascinating. They are known to nest in a variety of habitats, often choosing locations that provide ample cover and concealment. The female typically lays two to four eggs, and both parents take turns incubating them. The chicks hatch after a few weeks, and the parents diligently care for them until they are ready to leave the nest.
In conclusion, the Large-tailed Nightjar is a captivating nocturnal bird found throughout Australia. Its distinctive knocking call, hunting strategies, and breeding habits make it a unique and intriguing species. For those who enjoy birdwatching or simply appreciating the natural world, the Large-tailed Nightjar is certainly a bird to listen for and observe in the Australian night.
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Frogs and insects
Frogs are one of the most common sources of nighttime animal noises in Australia. There are over 240 native frog species in Australia, and many of these are nocturnal, meaning they are more active at night. Male frogs, in particular, make unique "love songs" to attract female frogs. These songs can range from a single, short "tuk" or "whuck" repeated every few seconds, to louder, more booming noises.
The FrogID app has been instrumental in recording the calls of Australian frogs. Citizen scientists across the country have used the app to record the time, date, and geographic location of frog calls, helping to identify changes in local frog populations and inform conservation efforts.
In addition to frogs, insects also contribute significantly to the nighttime chorus in Australia. Male crickets, for example, rub their forewings together to make chirping sounds, a process called stridulation, to attract mates. Mosquitoes create a high-pitched whine through the rapid beating of their wings, which serves both as a means of flight and as a mating call. Bees, wasps, and hornets are known for their buzzing wings, with wasps and hornets producing a sharper, more erratic buzz than bees.
Termites, another nocturnal insect in Australia, communicate with their colony members by head-banging, creating a clicking sound through their mandibles. Cockroaches also make clicking noises through stridulation, and hissing cockroaches expel air through breathing holes to create their signature sound. Even spiders, though typically quiet, can produce faint squeaking or chirping noises through stridulation or by tapping and drumming on surfaces.
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Raccoons and opossums
While raccoons are not typically considered vocal animals, they do make a variety of sounds, especially when they are agitated or alarmed. Raccoons may whistle like an owl when communicating with other raccoons. They also growl when they feel threatened, grunt when they are distressed, and purr when they are content. When raccoons are fighting, they make high-pitched shrieks and screams that can be quite unnerving. These sounds may be mistaken for those made by other nocturnal animals, such as owls.
Raccoons are nocturnal creatures, so their noises are often heard at night. They are known to inhabit urban and suburban environments, taking shelter in attics, chimneys, and under decks. Their distinctive black, grey, and white fur, with a black mask around their eyes, adds to their nocturnal persona.
Opossums, on the other hand, are generally less vocal. They are also nocturnal and tend to scavenge at night, making them more likely to be heard during those hours. Opossums make clicking noises when attracting mates and hissing or growling sounds when they feel threatened. Baby opossums may make sneezing-like noises to get their parents' attention. Overall, opossums are skittish and try to avoid confrontation.
In Australia, the Common Brushtail Possum is a noisy nocturnal creature that can be heard making loud screeching, hissing, and clicking sounds. They are known to invade homes and cause disturbances, leading to their classification as pests. These possums can be identified by their pointed snouts, pink noses, long whiskers, and large ears.
The noises made by raccoons and opossums can be a cause for concern, especially when these animals come into close contact with humans in urban settings. While raccoons and opossums may not be the only nocturnal creatures making sounds at night, their vocalizations can be distinctive and sometimes unnerving to those who encounter them.
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Owls
Australia is home to several species of owls, some of which produce knocking sounds at night. Here is some information about the different types of owls commonly found in Australia and their distinctive calls:
Powerful Owl
The Powerful Owl is Australia's largest owl species and is a nocturnal bird. It has dark grey to dark grey-brown feathers with white barring and off-white underparts. Its eyes are yellow, and it has a grey/brown facial mask. The Powerful Owl's call is a deep, double hoot: 'woo-hoo'.
Southern Boobook
The Southern Boobook is the smallest and most common owl species in Australia. It has dark chocolate-brown and rufous-brown feathers streaked and spotted with white. Its bill is grey with a darker tip, and its feet can be grey or yellow.
Greater and Lesser Sooty Owls
These owls make a noise called the "bomb whistle," resembling the bomb-dropping sound from cartoons. They belong to the Tyto genus, which includes several owl species that make similarly unsettling noises.
Barred Owl
The Barred Owl is known for its distinctive call, which sounds like it's asking, "Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?". When a pair of Barred Owls duet, their call can devolve into a raucous mix of cackles, hoots, caws, and gurgles. While they are more commonly heard at night, they can also be vocal during the day.
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Foxes
The Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) is a widely distributed canid species found throughout many regions of the northern hemisphere. European settlers introduced the species to Australia, where it is now an abundant pest. Red foxes prey on vulnerable native birds and mammals and are highly adaptable, able to find and catch prey in all kinds of habitats.
Red foxes make a variety of different sounds, including barks, screams, howls, squeals, and 'gekkering' calls. Two of the most commonly heard calls are the 'bark' and 'scream', likely because they are the loudest and can be heard from a distance. Another common call is the ''wow wow wow' contact call, which often leads people to mistake the fox for a bird. Red foxes can also be quite noisy when fighting, making loud screaming noises, chatters, and squeals.
The Grey-headed Flying-fox is the largest Australian bat, with a head and body length of up to 30 cm. It has dark grey fur on its body and a distinctive ginger collar around its neck. Its wings are black, and its wingspan can reach up to 1 meter. Grey-headed Flying-foxes are generally found within 200 km of Australia's eastern coast, ranging from Rockhampton in Queensland to Adelaide in South Australia.
The Grey-headed Flying-fox forms roosting camps that are typically located within 20 km of a regular food source. These camps are commonly found in gullies, close to water, and in vegetation with a dense canopy. When natural resources are scarce, they may be found outside these locations.
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Frequently asked questions
Knocking sounds at night are probably coming from a large animal like a raccoon or opossum.
The Large-tailed Nightjar, a nocturnal bird found in Australia, makes a monotonous series of hollow "chonk, chonk, chonk..." notes that sound like a distant chopping or knocking on wood.
Knocking sounds during the day are usually caused by squirrels, but other animals such as mice, rats, and bats can also make scratching, scraping, and thumping noises.
