April 19, 2005
Eagle Calls
Since the images on the Eagle Cam are without audio, we can't hear the cries and calls of the bald eagles via the website, but we can provide some sound clips below.
The adults and eaglets "talk" in different ways. The eaglets are reported to have a language all their own, from general yips to demanding screams when they're hungry.
And as for the adults, they don't have a wide range of calls, but their cries can carry a long distance. Some ornithologists have described the eagle's most common call as a gull-like cackle accompanied by thin squeals. It's reported that the female's voice is lower-pitched, and some biologists state that they can tell the sex by the call.
Bald eagles will often toss their heads back when making a call while perched. Calls can be given in greeting, as a declaration of ownership of food, as a demand to a mate, as a warning to new visitors at a favorite roosting site, or as a warning to an intruder telling him that he is flying too close to the nest or to the eagle's territory.
Below are several samples of adult bald eagle calls. All clips are in the MP3 format. Click to play, or right-click and save the files to your computer.
Eagle Call #1 (143KB)
Eagle Call #2 (35KB)
Eagle Call #3 (77KB) |
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Until next time,
Lisa - webmaster