A rather unusual identification request

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arkle
arkle's picture
A rather unusual identification request

Hi everyone,

Well this is a rather unusual identification request as I have never seen the bird I want to identify. I have certainly heard it many times (though never in real life) in films set in tropical locations like desert islands, jungles and rainforests. The bird has a unique tropical call that is almost comical in its jungle clicheness. Hopefully someone here will be able to tell me what the bird is?

It has a loud, almost screeching double

aarr-AAAR aarr-AAAR

with the aarr quiet and flat, and the AAAR louder with a rising then falling pitch.

Please help!

arkle

BryanT
BryanT's picture

Sounds like Australian Raven to me.

Bryan

arkle
arkle's picture

Ha ha yes I can see why you said Australian Raven but it isn't that. I'm sure it's a tropical bird. The AAAR isn't long and drawn out, it's fairly sharp and loud and indignant. The aarr is the last quaver in the bar and the AAAR is the first crotchet in the next bar. Thanks for a good guess though!

arkle

timmo
timmo's picture

I know the sound you mean, but I was wondering if it might actually be a monkey rather than a bird.

Not a clue which one though... Macaques, Howler monkeys, Spider monkeys?

Cheers
Tim
Brisbane

timmo
timmo's picture

OK, just found a sample on this page (if we're thinking the same one...)
http://www.a1freesoundeffects.com/animal.html
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Try "jungle bird 2".
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Still, no idea what it is though... :)

Cheers
Tim
Brisbane

timmo
timmo's picture

Oops, sorry just "Jungle Bird" middle column.

Cheers
Tim
Brisbane

timmo
timmo's picture

Oops, sorry just "Jungle Bird" middle column.

Cheers
Tim
Brisbane

arkle
arkle's picture

YES!!! That's it! Jungle Bird! Well done timmo!

So what is it?

arkle

arkle
arkle's picture

Does anyone know what the bird is?
arkle

Amateur

I swear I hear it all the time but I can't put my finger on what the bird's name is from da call.

DenisWilson
DenisWilson's picture

Well I would be wary of identifying anything from such a generic website.
The call I heard could have been a Cockatoo, but they create such website for "sound effects" tapes, movies, etc.
Frankly it could be anything, from any continent.
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Surely any BiBY member would recognise a Cocky?
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Denis

timmo
timmo's picture

Denis,
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Agreed absolutely - I in fact presumed it wouldn't be an Aussie bird simply because of the movie settings (e.g. Amazon, African jungle, SE Asia, etc) but I'm probably misguided in trusting to movie locations to tell me that.
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This site http://listverse.com/2009/09/25/top-10-movie-sound-effects-we-all-recognize/ has some interesting detail on some bird and animal sound effects commonly used (eg. great horned owl, red-tailed hawk, loons).
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One commenter even mentions kookaburras as being in every movie jungle (which I haven't noticed myself).
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Cheers
Tim

Cheers
Tim
Brisbane

timmo
timmo's picture

OK - mystery perhaps solved...
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According to this site http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MisplacedWildlife "the calls of the Kookaburra and the Indian Blue Peacock most often embellish the soundtracks of Hollywood jungle movies."
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And it seems quite similar to peacock calls found elsewhere.
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We even used to have a pair of peacocks when we were kids, but I didn't recognise it.
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Cheers
Tim

Cheers
Tim
Brisbane

DenisWilson
DenisWilson's picture

Hi Timmo
Good point.
I had in mind the "sound track" problem of Kookaburras being used as "weird and dangerous" sounds much beloved of Hollywood Movie people. I recall hearing one in a South American scene in a thriller movie. Totally clear and recognisable. Often thrown into "Jungle" scenes - completely out of context.
Your example of the Peacock is also right.
Owl calls are also used indiscriminately - regardless of where the movies are set. Don't all owls go "hoot, hoot" or that spine-chilling screech - depending upon whether one wants a friendly wise owl or the threatening atmospheric one? Just watch any scary movie - that proves it.
There is much rubbish used by people who have no idea of what they are doing.
Cheers
Denis

Gelmir
Gelmir's picture

And not only movies but documentary makers overdub the sounds of birds as well.

arkle
arkle's picture

Well yes this is all very interesting but it still doesn't identify the arrr-ARRR bird in the Jungle Bird link. It's definiely not a kookaburra or a cockatoo, at it's nothing like any kookaburra or cockatoo I've ever heard, and I hear them every day.

arkle

timmo
timmo's picture

Arkle,
I hate to be narky - but perhaps you should go and do some research yourself, rather than just asking people to find it for you?
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If you hear them every day, you're probably in the best position to go and find out what it is, right?
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When you next hear them , take it as a chance to slow down and have a look around. Look for the source of the sound, get some binocs out maybe. See what you can see, and try and match it to birds on the BiBy site, or in a bird book.
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I have come up with my best suggestion, that the one used in movies is the call of the Indian Blue Peacock. It may not sound exactly the same as "Jungle Bird" but correlates well enough for me, given the other pieces of info I've found and mentioned.
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Good luck in your quest and let us know, if you find what you are hearing.
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Cheers
Tim

Cheers
Tim
Brisbane

arkle
arkle's picture

Thank you for the reprimand Timmo!

I didn't say I hear it every day. I said

I have certainly heard it many times (though never in real life) in films set in tropical locations like desert islands, jungles and rainforests.

i.e. in films but never in real life.

Gosh if I could hear it in real life I'd be out trying to get a photograph of it. Sorry to be a pain matey.

arkle

timmo
timmo's picture

My apologies, arkle, I read your previous comment wrongly. I can see now that you meant you hear kookaburras and cockatoos every day, not "Jungle Bird".

I guess I just arced up a bit with your "this is all very interesting but" comment as I read that more like "your conversation isn't important, help with my problem".

I got interested in this just cause I like knowing this kind of random stuff, so am equally interested in variations from the topic and however the thread goes. Sorry if I hijacked your topic a bit.

Anyway, I know youtube has a few peacock calls, as said perhaps it could be that, but I've probably taken the search to an anaswer that's plausible to me. As I said if you find out what it is to your own satisfaction let us know what you think it is.

Peace. Out
Tim

Cheers
Tim
Brisbane

arkle
arkle's picture

Peace Tim =o)

Amateur

I really should read more carefully, I assumed like Timmo that you heard it everyday :) Good luck with finding out what it is.

gez
gez's picture

Sounds a lot llike a Pied Currawong to me :) in case ur still interested after al this time .. hehe

Happy birdwatching!

Anonymous

If the 'jungle bird' sound in that link IS your bird, then it's a peacock..... although the sound file sounds a tad faster than any peacock I've heard. (not sure if the sound has been speeded up somewhere along the line or it's just a fast talking peacock!!!)

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