Last updated on October 9th, 2022 at 10:12 pm
Earth is home to around 50 billion birds of ~11,000 avian species, of which about 9,700 have been reasonably studied. Birds make dozens of distinct sounds, and some are similar or almost identical to the noises other animals make.
Some of the common animals that sound similar to birds are bats, guinea pigs, hamsters, mice, mountain lions, and squirrels. Many singing insects sound similar to birds, such as cicadas, crickets, katydids, or locusts. Even raccoons can often sound like birds.
1. Bat
Bats use echolocation for navigation and to hunt for flying insects.
The ultrasound or ultrasonic waves used for echolocation aren’t audible to the human ear, but a few species of bats have an audible call.
Some male bats sing similarly to songbirds. The spotted bat (Euderma maculatum) has a trill-like call that sounds similar to birds.
The sound library of the National Park Service has a sample recording of spotted bats in Yosemite.
At least three other species of bats have songs for the males to attract mates, which include:
- Broad-eared bat (Nyctinomops laticaudatus)
- Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis), also known as the Brazilian free-tailed bat
- Nathusius’ pipistrelle (Pipistrellus nathusii)
The National Public Radio has a few songs of these bats that are almost indistinguishable from the croonings of some birds.
2. Bee
Bees produce a buzzing sound, similar to the noise of hummingbirds in flight, but these sounds aren’t vocalizations.
Instead, the wings of both bees and hummingbirds make a buzzing or humming sound.
Interestingly, hatchlings or nestlings of a few birds, like woodpeckers, can vocalize this buzzing.
One example is the northern flicker (Colaptes auratus). A brood of 5 to 8 hatchlings or nestlings can create an intense buzzing sound that you may perceive as bees.
Queen bees can also sing and make chirping sounds similar to birds.
Here’s a queen bee singing (~27 seconds):
3. Bobcat
The bobcat (Lynx rufus) has a wide vocalization range, including the following audible sounds:
- Bark
- Chirp
- Chortle
- Hiss
- Hoot
- Howl
- Growl
- Scream
- Screech
- Snarl
Bobcats typically don’t mew, but their chirping sounds similar to birds. A bobcat’s hooting or screeching may also sound like a raptor’s vocalization.
4. Chipmunk
Chipmunks make various sounds, including the following:
- Chip-chip
- Chuck-chuck
- Bark
- Trill
The barking of some chipmunks is similar to the red-bellied woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus), but the two animals don’t have the same barking rhythm.
The tone is also a tad different. Being a bird, woodpeckers have a more musical bark, whereas chipmunks make a husky sound.
The chip-chip noise of chipmunks sounds similar to the northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), and the two may be indistinguishable unless you have lucid audio or some other indicators.
5. Chirping Frog
The Rio Grande chirping frog (Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides) chirps like a bird, but the sound isn’t the typical croaking noise you may be familiar with when frogs try to attract mates.
Likewise, the California cliff chirping frog (Eleutherodactylus marnockii) has many sounds similar to birds, including the following:
- Chip
- Chirp
- Trill
CaliforniaHerps has a few audio recordings of this cliff chirping frog native to the state.
At least three other species of frogs have the vocal capability to sing, much like birds, including:
- Quang’s tree frog (Gracixalus quangi)
- Gracixalus gracilipes
- Gracixalus supercornutus
However, none of these three green-blooded tree frogs that sing like birds are found in the USA.
6. Cicada
Cicadas have a high-pitched buzzing sound that’s distinct from the chirping of birds.
But their constant resonant frequencies have rhythms that might appear as buzzing or screaming sounds of birds, especially noisy hatchlings or nestlings.
Persistence is usually a giveaway, though.
7. Crab
Crabs make a chirping sound, usually when they are uncomfortable, stressed, or threatened.
Two crabs fighting may chirp, as well.
The hermit crab’s chirping sounds similar to poultry and waterfowl, but the noises aren’t always loud enough to be evident unless you are quite close to the crab.
8. Cricket
Crickets make the same kind of chirping sound as many birds. However, their chirps don’t have the same pitch or rhythm.
You can distinguish the two sounds if you can observe the melody in the chirping rhythm of a songbird, such as a field sparrow.
The field sparrow (Spizella pusilla) makes a bouncing ball trill song that doesn’t sound like the chirping of crickets, but a brooding female field sparrow may chirp exactly like a cricket.
A few species of wrens and warblers also make the same types of chirping sounds as crickets.
The river warbler (Locustella fluviatilis) chirps almost exactly like crickets and grasshoppers.
It’s difficult to conclude if crickets sound like birds or vice versa because giant insects existed before the evolution of any avian species.
That said, you won’t find any river warblers in North America.
Here’s a European river warbler chirping like a cricket:
9. Grasshopper
Grasshoppers make a chirping sound that may be mistaken for a bird’s vocalization.
However, a grasshopper produces this sound by rubbing its hind legs and wing casings, a process known as stridulation.
They can also make different sounds through crepitation.
Many subspecies of grasshoppers can sing, but the exact sound varies among the insects.
The chirping or singing of grasshoppers usually sounds similar to birds when the source isn’t evident, or the audio is unclear.
The constant high-pitched noise isn’t identical to rhythmic bird sounds.
10. Guinea Pig
Guinea pigs are quite vocal whenever they have to express a specific emotion or need. They have a diverse range of sounds, including the following:
- Burbling
- Chattering
- Chirping
- Growling
- Purring
- Rumbling
- Screaming
- Shrieking
- Strutting
- Squealing
- Wheeking
- Whining
The chirping noise sounds not only similar but almost identical to birds.
Those unfamiliar with a guinea pig’s chirping may presume there’s a pet bird in the house or a wild species has found its way inside.
Apart from chirping, guinea pigs make other noises that you or anyone may mistake as sounds of a bird.
Consider the example of rumbling. The rumbling and strutting noise made by a guinea pig often sounds like pigeons, albeit not the cooing you hear from the latter.
A guinea pig’s grunting, teeth chattering, and squealing may also sound similar to a few birds.
Its wheeking isn’t exactly the type of noise birds make, but there are portions that sound like a scream or squeal of hatchlings and nestlings.
11. Hamster
Hamsters are capable of generating various types of sounds, including the following:
- Chirping
- Clicking
- Cooing
- Crying
- Hissing
- Sneezing
- Screaming
- Squeaking
Many birds can produce most of these sounds.
The different noises made by hamsters can be quite similar or nearly identical to some sounds of several bird species, but if you have a pet hamster, you are probably familiar with its sounds and won’t mistakenly think it’s a bird.
12. Katydid
The katydid is one of the singing insects, a classification that also includes cicadas, crickets, and grasshoppers.
Katydids can make various sounds that are similar to birds.
Some of the sounds made by katydids are:
- Chirping
- Chorus
- Clicking
- Fluttering
- Scratching
- Whistling
The individual clicking noise and swarm chorus aren’t similar to bird songs.
However, the chirps and scratching sounds are almost bird sounds.
The whistling sound of a katydid is akin to a high-pitched chirp, while the fluttering is like an insect in flight.
The common true katydid (Pterophylla camellifolia) has a raspy song with a rhythm.
The species found from the midwest and eastward have up to 4 pulses, and these sounds are similar to the calls of a few avian species.
The other katydid subspecies may have variations of these sounds.
Here’s one of the sounds that common true katydids can make:
13. Locust
A swarm of locusts is unmistakable.
The younger locusts, known as hoppers because they aren’t yet capable of flying, make the typical sounds of insects and many other critters.
But an individual locust has at least one sound that is similar to birds’ calls, especially chicks.
This call is often punctuated with brief pauses and isn’t a consistent high-pitched and resonant noise that’s usually the sound of many insects.
Those unfamiliar with this locust sound may presume there’s a bird, probably a nest with a few hatchlings.
Here’s a nice clip of this sound:
14. Monkey
Aussies are familiar with the laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae), making several types of sounds, including different calls of monkeys and a few screams that sound similar to humans.
The resemblance to monkey sounds is so uncanny that the laughing kookaburra’s calls have been used in major motion picture productions to create the ambient noises of jungles.
Monkey sounds are also similar to a few owls. However, some people claim that some owl species can scream and screech like monkeys.
The barred owl (Strix varia) can sound like a monkey in a few circumstances.
The blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is another avian species that can make calls like a monkey, or the latter’s few sounds are similar to birds.
The songbird has many distinct calls, including jeers, and it can also mimic hawks, particularly the red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus).
15. Mountain Lion
Mountain lions are among the quietest large animals in the wild. But they do make a few noises, including the following:
- Chirping
- Growling
- Purring
- Whistling
The chirping is almost identical to birds, while the whistling is similar to humans. The growling is very similar to pet cats, while the purring is mostly restricted to kittens.
The kittens’ raspy but loud purrs contrast the mild chirping and whistling of adult mountain lions.
16. Mouse
The mouse can produce a few high-frequency sounds that aren’t audible to humans. But most mice call, sing, or squeak, which sound similar to birds chirping.
In some cases, the chirping of a mouse or its song may be indistinguishable from a bird’s if you don’t have a preconception.
17. Pig
Pigs don’t sound like songbirds, obviously. Their grunting and oinking are distinct, but there is at least one avian species that make sounds associated with pigs.
The double-crested cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) has a guttural grunt that is almost like the oinking of a pig.
18. Rabbit
Rabbits and hares are capable of vocalizing more than a dozen sounds, including the following:
- Buzzing
- Clucking
- Chattering
- Chirruping
- Grinding
- Growling
- Grunting
- Gulping
- Hissing
- Honking
- Humming
- Muttering
- Purring
- Screaming
- Snorting
- Squeaking
- Thumping
- Wheezing
- Whimpering
- Whining
While rabbits don’t make much noise, you can hear one gulping while drinking and whimpering or whining if it doesn’t like something.
Both these may sound like a bird’s sounds, but you won’t hear them from afar.
Only screaming and squeaking noises made by rabbits are audible enough to be mistaken for a bird.
The squeaking among bunnies, especially when they are hungry, sounds like hatchlings or nestlings.
19. Raccoon
Raccoons can vocalize using more than 200 sounds, which include the following:
- Chittering
- Cooing
- Crying
- Growling
- Hissing
- Mewing
- Purring
- Screeching
- Whimpering
- Whining
The list excludes motion or movement noise. Baby raccoons cooing sound similar to birds, while the screeching of an adult raccoon sounds like an owl.
20. Squirrel
Squirrels can bark and grunt, but sometimes, their barks and grunts are a combined sound.
Baby squirrels can chirp exactly like birds, and many of these sounds are similar to birds unless you have a direct view of the rodent or its baby.
There is also evidence of squirrels mimicking the warning calls of birds to protect their brethren from hawks and owls or other birds of prey.
Irrespective of the various animal sounds similar to birds, there’s nothing like an actual songbird or several species delivering their finest performances.
If you are a birder or just wish to listen to the sounds of bird calls in the wild, get a copy of Rest and Relaxation Nature Sounds Calming Songbirds, available on Amazon.com.
This audio disc of lucid but natural recording has 60 minutes of bird calls and songs without any other effects, music, or sounds.
Sometimes, ambient noises distort and muffle the pristineness of bird calls and songs, so this composition can be a treat for a bird lover.