The mournful wail of a baby crying in the night is unmistakable to parents. That persistent, pleading cry rouses us from sleep and compels us to comfort and soothe our little ones. Yet sometimes those haunting cries seem to emanate from outside the nursery window. What wild bird makes a noise akin to a human baby’s weep?
The Common Cuckoo
The common cuckoo is most renowned for its distinctive “cuck-oo” call, but it has another vocalization that closely mimics a human baby crying. During breeding season, the female common cuckoo quietly invades the nests of other birds, removing an egg and replacing it with her own. When the cuckoo chick hatches, it instinctively knows to eject the other eggs or hatchlings so it can monopolize the care of the unsuspecting adoptive parents. If the baby cuckoos get tossed out of the nest by the host birds, they give a loud, pleading cry that convinces many birds to continue feeding the imposter babies. This wailing call sounds eerily similar to a human infant’s cries.
Range of the Common Cuckoo
The common cuckoo has a vast global range through Europe, Asia, and parts of Africa. Its cries can be heard during spring and summer months throughout its breeding grounds. In Europe, the cuckoo’s baby-like wailing emanates from wet meadows, scrubby thickets, and treetops. Listen for it in parks, gardens, and along forest edges. This vocalization gave rise to the term “cuckold” which refers to a man whose wife/partner has been unfaithful and saddled him with a child not biologically his own, akin to the cuckoo chick’s adoption by host birds.
Identifying the Call
The common cuckoo’s baby-like crying consists of a series of high-pitched, plaintive notes. It sounds like “whee-whee-whee-whee” or “pee-pee-pee-pee.” The crying call is slower and more drawn out than the classic “cuck-oo” vocalization, usually lasting 2-3 seconds. It has a distinct wavering or warbling quality, giving it a more vulnerable, infantile sound compared to other bird cries. The call tapers off at the end like a human baby’s exhausted weeping. Though males may vocalize similarly, the female cuckoo most frequently gives this crying call.
Purpose of the Unusual Cry
This unique vocalization serves multiple purposes for the common cuckoo. As mentioned, if a cuckoo chick gets tossed from its adoptive nest, its wailing cry can convince parent birds to rescue it and continue feeding it. The cuckoo’s mimicking of a baby’s cry taps into parental instincts and exploits them for its own survival. The cuckoo’s cries from within the nest may also act like an acoustic cue for the adult female to locate her own chick and ensure the hosts are properly caring for it. Lastly, the chick’s incessant vocalization stimulates the adoptive parents to work harder and bring more food.
The Yellow-Billed Cuckoo
The yellow-billed cuckoo is a species found in North America and the Caribbean islands. It also has a distinctive crying call reminiscent of human infant vocalizations. During breeding season, listen for its sorrowful, wheezing wails coming from woodland canopy openings or dense undergrowth along waterways.
Range of the Yellow-Billed Cuckoo
The yellow-billed cuckoo breeds in deciduous forests and dense thickets across southern Canada, throughout the continental United States, and into Mexico. It winters in South America. Though elusive, its crying call betrays its presence in suitable nesting habitat from spring through late summer.
Identifying the Call
The yellow-billed cuckoo’s cry consists of a long, smooth whistle which slopes downward. It sounds like “wheeeeeeoooo.” The crying call lasts about 2-3 seconds, wavering slightly like a human baby’s extended wail. It lacks the rhythmic quality of the common cuckoo’s “cuck-oo.” Often described as sounding like a dove’s coo, the yellow-billed cuckoo’s cry has a more mournful or pitiful tone. Listen for repetitions of this crying call.
Purpose of the Cry
Unlike the common cuckoo, the yellow-billed cuckoo is not an obligate brood parasite, though it may occasionally lay eggs in other bird’s nests. The yellow-billed cuckoo’s crying vocalization seems to primarily serve as communication between mates and as part of the species’ breeding behavior. Research shows the crying call is most frequent after a pair copulates. It may help the male attract and bond with the female. The call also seems to stimulate copulation. Once eggs hatch, the cry may elicit food delivery from the male.
The Black-Billed Cuckoo
Closely related to the yellow-billed cuckoo, the black-billed cuckoo is another North American species whose call resembles an infant’s cry. However, this species’ vocalizations are lower-pitched and sound more human-like. Listen for its distinctive cries echoing through deciduous and mixed forests during summer.
Range of the Black-Billed Cuckoo
The black-billed cuckoo breeds across southern Canada and the northern United States. It winters in South America. Though secretive, its range overlaps with the yellow-billed cuckoo’s, so discriminating between their cries takes practice. The black-billed cuckoo’s lower-pitched, more human-like vocalization gives it away.
Identifying the Call
The black-billed cuckoo’s crying call sounds like a long, low-pitched “coo-oo-oo-oo” or “coo-coo-oo.” It lacks the distinctly bird-like tone of the yellow-billed cuckoo. The call slurs downward, lasting about 2-3 seconds. With a hollow, echoing quality, the black-billed cuckoo’s cry resembles vocalizations of doves or pigeons. However, its timbre is deeper with more carrying power.
Purpose of the Cry
Like its close relative, the black-billed cuckoo uses its baby-like crying call for breeding communication. Research indicates the cry stimulates copulation and helps maintain the pair bond. Males and females engage in this vocalization, though male cries are shorter in duration. The female’s cry likely elicits food delivery from her mate once eggs hatch. The black-billed cuckoo occasionally parasitizes nests, so its crying call may also function to manipulate foster parents much like the common cuckoo chick.
The Greater Roadrunner
With its fierce rattlesnake-hunting habits, the greater roadrunner seems an unlikely source of such an innocent, tender vocalization. Yet this long-legged inhabitant of southwestern deserts and scrublands produces a surprisingly baby bird-like cry. Listen for it during breeding season or when defending territory.
Range of the Greater Roadrunner
Greater roadrunners live in arid, open habitats throughout the southwestern United States and Mexico. Their range extends west to California and north to central Oregon. Hopping along the ground or perching low in shrubs, greater roadrunner cries emanate from dry washes, grasslands, chaparral, and sagebrush plains.
Identifying the Call
When upset, greater roadrunners utter a rapid series of piercing cries that sound like “beep, beep, beep!” However, during breeding season the male also makes a vocalization like a short, repetitive sobbing: “boo-hoo, boo-hoo, boo-hoo.” Each note rises slightly in pitch at the end. Compared to the cuckoos’ cries, the greater roadrunner’s has a harsher, rasping edge. But the rhythm of the short, repeated notes does mimic a human baby’s sobs.
Purpose of the Cry
Greater roadrunner pairs are territorial and monogamous. Males make the crying vocalization to attract females and strengthen pair bonding during courtship. Short, repetitive notes allow the birds to be heard over some distance. Research suggests males with the highest-pitched cries attract more female attention. Once the female begins laying eggs, the male’s “boo-hoo” crying likely stimulates her to copulate and produces physiological changes to facilitate successful breeding.
The Spotted Dove
A widespread species found in subtropical and tropical regions worldwide, the spotted dove is a frequent visitor to bird feeders, farms, and urban parks. Although considered a pest in some areas, its harmonious coos and gentle demeanor make it a favorite. The spotted dove’s diminutive size belies its booming vocalizations, including a crying call that resembles a human baby.
Range of the Spotted Dove
Native to Asia, the spotted dove has been introduced around the world and is abundant in Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, and many island nations. It has also become established in parts of North America, such as Florida and California. Listen for its melodic yet loud calls in nesting sites on building ledges, in trees, and even on the ground.
Identifying the Call
Spotted doves give a series of hollow, echoing coos often transcribed as “cu-CUR-cu, cu-CUR-cu.” When defending breeding territories, males make a slower, plaintive cry that sounds like “cuh…cuh…cuh.” Drawn out and mournful, it resembles a human baby sobbing. With practice, the territorial, crying coo can be distinguished from the faster rhythmic courtship coo.
Purpose of the Cry
Though frequently depicted as a symbol of peace, spotted doves are actually quite pugnacious regarding their nesting territories. The male’s drawn-out crying call advertises his nest site and warns intruders away. Spotted doves vigorously defend breeding areas, chasing away other doves and birds. Their soft appearance belies an aggression evident in the wailing territorial cries of males during the breeding season.
Conclusion
Birds crying like human babies may startle awake bleary-eyed parents on early summer mornings. But rather than a lost infant, the source is likely an opportunistic cuckoo, territorial dove, or passionate roadrunner. By learning to distinguish these bird cries and understanding their significance, we can appreciate the diversity of avian vocalizations and behaviors. Analyzing similarities and subtle differences between these wailing calls reveals the immensely varied ways birds communicate.
