Can You Identify the Birds Behind These Creepy Calls?

The refrain of a Common Raven drove a man to madness in Edgar Allen Poe’s storied poem. Though the call, "Nevermore," was Poe’s invention, birds' real cries can often be just as chilling. Here we've compiled 10 of the most unsettling nighttime notes, ghoulish groans, and banshee-like wails from across the bird world. And to make it even more of a challenge, two are not North American species. See if you can match the eerie sounds to their sources, and then check the bottom of the page for the right answers. 

Creepy Call #1 

Creepy Call #2 

Creepy Call #3 

Creepy Call #4

Creepy Call #5 

Creepy Call #6 

Creepy Call #7 

Creepy Call #8 

Creepy Call #9 

Creepy Call #10  

(Scroll down to see if you're right.)

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Don't be scared: Download our free Audubon bird guide app to discover the calls and behaviors of more than 800 North American species. 

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Answers 

1.) Barn Owl 2.) Common Loon 3.) Great Potoo 4.) Least Bittern 5.) Turkey Vulture 6.) Laughing Kookaburra 7.) Audubon's Shearwater 8.) Eastern Screech-Owl 9.) Mute Swan 10.) American Crow