Do Pigeons Sound Like Owls?
There are some people who think pigeons sound somewhat similar to owls.
So, do pigeons sound like owls? I would say there are similarities between the rhythmic hoot-like coo of pigeons and to owl sound, but it’s rather easy to differentiate between the sounds of pigeons and owls.
Though it’s possible for strangers to both birds to get confused, people who are a little bit familiar with both pigeons and owls will know the difference instantly.
Here, we’ll discuss more why we think it’s easy to distinguish between their voices.
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Do Pigeons And Owls Have Similar Vocalizations?
They have slight similarities, but they are certainly not similar.
Both pigeons and owls have distinct vocalizations and it’s fairly easy to recognize them by their voice.
The owls are a bit older. I know how loud the voice is most times, depending on how far you’re from the bird.
But what I mean is if you were sitting between a pigeon and an owl at the same distance and both made sounds at the same time, the owl’s voice would be far louder.
In contrast, the pigeon’s coo will seem quite soft. Another thing is pigeons rarely vocalize during the night. You’ll see them active during the day, but during the night, they will be mostly quiet.
But the owls vocalize mainly at night, while they do it rarely during daytime unless it’s raining.
The band-tailed pigeon can cause confusion sometimes as their hoot is deep enough for some people to mistake them for the sound of owls. Other than that, I see no reason for people to get confused with pigeons and owl’s voice.
Can Pigeons Imitate the Hooting Sound of Owls?
I don’t think any pigeon would actively try to imitate the sound of owls. But as I’ve mentioned, band-tailed pigeon’s hoots are quite deep and may seem similar to owls.
Some people say the deep coos of rock pigeons also seem similar to the hoots of owls. I’ve heard them quite a few times, but personally, I think they don’t have enough similarities to confuse easily.
Nevertheless, pigeons can’t imitate the hooting sounds of owls.
There’s no recorded history of pigeons ever imitating the owl’s hooting sound. In fact, not only owl sound, but pigeons don’t imitate any other birds’ vocalizations. Whatever sound they make, they do it naturally.
Read our article about “Pigeon Fun Facts“
Is It Possible to Train a Pigeon to Make Owl-Like Sounds?
To my knowledge, it hasn’t been possible yet. Not only owl-like sounds, but I don’t believe there’s any documented proof that someone managed to make a pigeon imitate the sound of another bird.
If you want your pet bird to sound like another bird, then a parrot can be a good choice as they have a very good ability to imitate sounds.
Another good option is Northern Mockingbird, which is excellent at mimicking the sounds of other birds.
Not only birds they can mimic the sounds of cars, alarms, and even different animals. A Northern Mockingbird can mimic around 200 sounds in its lifetime.
Birds like Sage Thrasher and Blue Jays are also able to mimic other bird’s sounds easily.
What Does the Hooting Sound Mean?
The owls hoot loudly to warn other owls that they have claimed the territory and that other owls should stay away from it. They can sometimes shriek or screech if needed to make their point.
But the pigeons make a bit soft sound and they can do it either to attract partners for mating or to lay claim to a particular territory. The vocalization may differ a bit based on their intent.
How Do You Tell If It’s a Pigeon or an Owl?
Owls usually have a louder voice than the pigeons. So, if the sound seems really loud to you, it’s most probably an owl.
Another important thing is the time of making the sound. Owls aren’t active in the daytime and usually make sounds at night time.
The pigeons are the exact opposite, as they are mostly asleep during nighttime.
So, if you’re hearing the sound in the daytime, it’s most probably the pigeon, and if it’s nighttime, then it’s an owl.
There’s a breed called the tailed pigeon which you will find in North and South America.
They have a deep, hooting sound which is the most similar to owls. It can be confusing for some to distinguish between them and owls.
The best way to differentiate the voices is that, unlike owls, Band-tailed pigeons don’t make sounds at night.
Conclusion
Certain breeds, like band-tailed pigeons and rock pigeons, may produce sounds that make people think they are similar to owls, but broadly speaking, pigeons’ vocalizations aren’t similar to owls.
Anyone with basic knowledge of species of birds will be able to distinguish between their sounds easily.
Also, pigeons usually make sounds during the daytime, while owls are known to vocalize during the night. So, the scope of getting confused is really small here.
References
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1474-919X.1997.tb04515.x
- https://earthlife.net/what-birds-sound-like-owl/
