Bird call like truck reversing

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greengirl
greengirl's picture
Bird call like truck reversing

Hi All

Over the past few days I have been hearing a new bird call that I have not previously heard around here before. It sounds like the "beep beep beep" of a truck reversing, even the speed and rhythym of the beeps sounds like a truck. It goes on through the day and even after dusk, though not too late. I have not sighted the bird, or even seen any new birds around. It sounds so much like a truck reversing that I would guess it was a mimicking lyrebird, however we are in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne so I doubt there would be one around here. We're not too far from the Dandenong Ranges, but still too far for a lyrebird I'd say (we're too built up)!

I could guess that it is perhaps a mating call of a familiar bird, but I'm still stumped which one!

Any ideas??

berldo
berldo's picture

It's really difficult without hearing the sound. (that and the fact I am playing elliot smith on my itunes as I type... and I don't think he was a bird)

Maybe a pardalote at a guess however I think their "beeps" come in twos and would be a bit more randomly dispersed in comparison with a truck.

sparrow
sparrow's picture

Hi,i live in Frankston and have been hearing the same call for the last week or so, at first i thought it was a mobile phone or something but it keeps going,i would also like to know what is making the noise,i have been going into the garden to try and find out but then it stops.
cheers sparrow

myky50

after googling it apparently Pied Butcherbirds can mimic reversing trucks etc
my books says Quieter sub-song: mimics
and as one web site said they are more often than not heard but not seen

just a thought

:)

birdie
birdie's picture

I have read that too Myky, but I have heard them make a heap of different sounds yet nothing that sounds like that. They usually don't continue their calls incessantly, so I would be surprised. Believe it or not when the King parrots get going they have a continual high pitched peeping that could maybe sound like that. I guess we would have to hear a recording of it greengirl. Good luck with finding out!
CHeers

Birdie

Sunshine Coast Queensland

bushbirdnerd
bushbirdnerd's picture

Where exactly are you greengirl, any native forest nearby (if not this could narrow it down)? Can you identify any other patterns of calling besides the reverse truck? Male blackbirds are usually out calling (for a mate) at this time of year and it is different to their usual call, they perch high up at dawn and dusk. Willy Wagtails also have a different call at mating time and will call through out the night (which I realised with a torch about ten years ago- the call intrigued me so much I had to investigate).

Oxalis is not my friend

heva1
heva1's picture

it's not a tawny frogmouth is it? when I first heard one I thought it was someones generator or house alarm gone wrong, a soft rythmical 'beeping'. try listening to some of the suggestions listed here in mp3 format on this website and see if anything sounds familiar.

Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best

heva1
heva1's picture

I just listened to some of them on this website...and I reckon the King Parrot sounds just like a reversing truck. Does birdie get a prize if she's right?! lol

Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best

greengirl
greengirl's picture

Thanks for all of your replies.

I have listened to the mp3 recordings but none of them sound like what I have heard. The King Parrot was the closest, but still not quite right. The tempo wasn't as fast as what I have heard lately, and wasn't the same pitch. I haven't heard it since the weekend, so hopefully I will hear it this weekend again, and if I remember I will try to record it with my phone.

I am in Heathmont, near Ringwood, so no great native forests nearby, but we may get a few visitors from the Dandenongs.

We do get a lot of butcherbirds here and I have read that they do mimic aswell - perhaps that's what it is, but the bird is never within viewing range so I can't tell for sure!!

I can't think of any other way of describing the call - they sounded like distinct "beeps", coming regulary (one per second?) for maybe about 10 beeps, all the same pitch at the same tempo. It sounds so much like a reversing beep that I am thinking it must be a mimic - there is a van across the road that has a reversing beep and it sounds very similar to that, yet it's definately not the same (ie what I have heard is a bird).

Does anyone know why birds start mimicry? Does it have anything to do with finding a mate?

GregL
GregL's picture

Are you sure the sound is beeps on a single pitch, not ascending or descending whistles, which are much more common. If it was a lyre bird you would expect a range of noises over time, they often mimic lots of different noises.
You should make a recording and post it.
Birds like honeyeaters and treecreepers do a burst of whistles but not so regular as a reversing beep. The crested shrike tit makes a regular whistling sound.

Tazrandus
Tazrandus's picture

Cuckoos tend to make those sort of repetitive calls. Here are a few:
http://birdsinbackyards.net/species/Cacomantis-variolosus
http://birdsinbackyards.net/species/Scythrops-novaehollandiae

And the Rufous Whistler makes a car-alarm-like call:
http://birdsinbackyards.net/species/Pachycephala-rufiventris

Hope you are able to get the recording.

Taz

ethan1
ethan1's picture

I live in the Blue Mountians NSW and every year about Xmas we have this bird like you describe. It makes a noise that can only be described as a "Back up " noise of a truck. It goes throughout the day without stopping. It is very loud and goes through closed windows and doors. We would love to shot it(only joking) as it continues all day. Beep, Beeo Beep. The bird doesnt even need to catch its breath. We think it is a mating call but am unsure of the type of bird. Could it be the New Guinea Cookoo bird? It travels around the bush in area of the old Lennox Bridge. Anyone have ideas?

sewal
sewal's picture

I have had noisy miners around lately, northern suburbs brisbane, and heard a similar sound from one of them. I thought it might be a juvenile. It drove me crazy over several days.

Windhover
Windhover's picture

Not sure if you get Shining Bronze Cuckoos your way but they sound very monotonous!
Listen to this!
http://amatteroflight.com/gallery2/v/BIBY/shbrzcck.mp3.html

sparrow
sparrow's picture

Hi windhover i don't know about greengirl but the call i hear is like the one you posted only a lot slower i went with butcher birds but we definitely have bronze cuckoos i will try again to get a recording

sarbear
sarbear's picture

I took a recoding of this bird if anyone wants to hear it I will email it to you idk what kind of bird it is hopefully someone can tell me!

Carol
Carol's picture

Hello Greengirl. I'm fairly confident your call is a Wonga Pigeon. We get this question often here in the Blue Mountains, and when heard from a distance it's regularly described as sounding like a truck reversing.

Natstar
Natstar's picture

Hi All

I recorded this sound at Karkarook Park in Moorabbin yesterday near the small lakes so after this weekend, when I work out how to upload the footage with sound maybe somebody would be able to identify it. Cheers.

Natstar

davethewonder
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Wonga Pigeon!!!

Dave, Sydney. 

Natstar
Natstar's picture

Hi Dave the wonder,

Thanks for your reply but I would find it very strange to be a Wonga Pigeon as this is a park in Suburbian Melbourne and the sound was coming from the reeds around small lakes, their was Clamourous Reed Warblers there and various other water birds also greenfinch, superb fairywren etc and it seemed to move quickly to the other side of me when I got close to one area and I think a Wonga pigeon would make noisy rustling sound in the reeds, but you have inspired me to go back to that park and research more. Cheers.

Natstar

davethewonder
davethewonder's picture

 

Hi

jmpearce - are you able to upload the sound somehow? Would love to hear it! If it was hiding in waterside reeds, it may not be the wonga pigeon. For the wonga pigeon, I was referring to the "reversing truck" sound described by "greengirl" earlier in the thread. We have wonga pigeons here in our suburban Sydney backyard, although we are near bush (even though this bush is encircled by other suburbs). In any case, here is a link to the wonga pigeon recording - as you can hear, it does sound a bit like a reversing truck. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHDLKX-c2QQ

Good luck with your search!

Dave, Sydney. 

Natstar
Natstar's picture

Hi davethewonder

Thanks for your reply, I did listen to the sound of a Wonga pigeon after reading your comment but too deep, you’ll understand what I mean if you listen to my filming on this you tube link Australian bird sound like reversing truck - YouTube  you will hear it is different to the Wonga Pigeon, now thinking possibly a Shining Bronze Cuckoo in mating call as it is a high pitch sound similar.

Cheers Natstar

Natstar

SteveM
SteveM's picture

Natstar - the bird calling in your video, is a Little Grassbird

Natstar
Natstar's picture

Thanks SteveM, I did see a flash of a small brownish bird fly past and the sound then changed to the area it flew to. cheers.

Natstar

davethewonder
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Thanks for posting that sound! It looks like the perfect habitat for a Little Grassbird too! Thanks Steve!

Dave, Sydney. 

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