Trying to Identify a Bird

[WIP]

Any birders on the forums? I'm not a birder but I have been hearing a bird around here that I've been trying to identify. As it flies a little above the treetops it makes a sound similar to someone drawing a bow across a hand saw while wobbling the saw rapidly as in whoop...whoop...whoop...whoop... It's not a very large bird, maybe about the size of a robin but I've never been able to see it come to land so I can't describe its color.

 

[KevinK]

Dove?

 

[Corn Pop]

Its called a "whoop whoop" bird. They are very common.

 

[JoJoe]

Pheasant Coucal I assume.

 

[WIP]

Dove?

We have lots of mourning doves around here. That's not it. It makes the sound while in flight and it's a much faster paced woo...woo...woo... About 3-4 per second.

 

[WIP]

Pheasant Coucal I assume.

This is getting closer to the sound but not it. I'm not aware that we have this bird in this area. I've never heard of it. The video seems to show a much larger bird and as I've mentioned, it makes this sound while flying.

 

[JoJoe]

This is getting closer to the sound but not it. I'm not aware that we have this bird in this area. I've never heard of it. The video seems to show a much larger bird and as I've mentioned, it makes this sound while flying.

Hmm... Well there are different sized Coucal I think the one in the video is a greater Coucal. The lesser Coucal is much smaller although there call is more faster and high pitched. Burchells Coucal is what I am guessing is the bird your hearing, they are about the size of a Robin depending on age.

By the way most birds both do pirched and flight calls, Coucal is one. I doubt there could be a video of a flight call.

If not then I don't know if I know of another bird that makes the described call in the OP. Not a birder but, I do love God's creatures.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

I know this is not the bird, but listen to the 'Fall vocalizations' clip in the link below. In the second half of the clip, does any of that resemble the saw bow wobbling whoop you describe in the OP?
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Saw-whet_Owl/sounds

 

[WIP]

Hmm... Well there are different sized Coucal I think the one in the video is a greater Coucal. The lesser Coucal is much smaller although there call is more faster and high pitched. Burchells Coucal is what I am guessing is the bird your hearing, they are about the size of a Robin depending on age.

By the way most birds both do pirched and flight calls, Coucal is one. I doubt there could be a video of a flight call.

If not then I don't know if I know of another bird that makes the described call in the OP. Not a birder but, I do love God's creatures.

That sound is very close. The Caucal however is not native to the US but is found in southern Asia. I'm in central Minnesota and I would not expect our climate to be very habitable for this bird.

 

[WIP]

Figured it out! I posted this question on an outdoor site that I also frequent and after a couple pages of replies someone finally identified the Wilson's Snipe. The sound is created as the air rushes over their tail feathers.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wilsons_Snipe/sounds

 

[JoJoe]

That sound is very close. The Caucal however is not native to the US but is found in southern Asia. I'm in central Minnesota and I would not expect our climate to be very habitable for this bird.

Lol, well you would be surprised on how birds can get around (mostly human error) and that odder things have happened.

I was just going off of sound description. Sorry.

 

[jeff77]

That is interesting WIP. I was going to say it could be a mockingbird since they can imitate other birds calls but if the sound is made with the feathers they probably couldn't do it. The mockingbird is the state bird of Texas and can imitate at least 200 or more calls of other birds.

 

[jeff77]

Actually mockingbirds can imitate the sounds of other animals and even machines. I wish I could copy and paste an article I read about, but don't know how to on this tablet I'm using.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Figured it out! I posted this question on an outdoor site that I also frequent and after a couple pages of replies someone finally identified the Wilson's Snipe. The sound is created as the air rushes over their tail feathers.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wilsons_Snipe/sounds

Sounds like the soundtrack to every jungle movie I've ever seen.

 

[Kenny_ms]

I've heard a lot of Mocking birds and they may be capable of things I don't know about but this guy takes the cake.

He's Jethro's "every jungle movie" and you think a handsaw/bow is impressive well....

There are much better videos of the bird:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=lyrebird