Apr 27, 2025

8 scary-looking birds with even scarier calls

Aakanksha Sharma

Scary-looking birds, scarier calls

Birds are often thought of as beautiful flying creatures, soaring through the sky, wings wide, and with melodious calls. But in the wild, there are certain birds that look scary, and have even scarier calls and sounds. Here we mention some of them.

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Common potoo

A rather scary-looking bird with a scary call and sound is the Common Potoo. It has wide eyes, bark-like brown colour, and a body that makes them look like wood when they are perfectly still. Their call too is eerie and echoes in the forest.

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Barn owl

Although the Barn owl looks like any ordinary owl with a white body, some shade around the eyes, and magnificent wings, if you spot one at night, it will bring terror in your eyes. They do not just look scary, but also sound eerie.

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Shoebill stork

Another scary bird that makes scary sounds is the Shoebill stork. It has a large shoe-shaped beak, and when it stares at someone, it could send shivers down the spine. And its call, which sounds like loud clapping, is both haunting and distinct.

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Tawny Frogmouth

Another bird with a scary call is the Tawny frogmouth. It has a deep ‘oom-oom’ sound along with certain sounds that feel like everything around is vibrating.

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Great horned owl

An owl with fierce yellow eyes and fur above ears that look like horns is this one. And these do not just look scary, but also have a deep, echoing hoot sound that feels like a warning from a horror movie.

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Marabou stork

A rather eerie bird that people will not like to encounter is the Marabou stork. It has a bald head, short neck (as compared to other storks), and a voice that feels out of a scary movie.

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Common loon

When you were little and watched horror movies featuring jungles and the wild, and from the jungle was a scary echo that sounded ‘loooooo-ooon’, it was the voice of the common loon. It is deep, eerie, and extremely disturbing.

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Turkey vulture

An eerie bird with a red, bald head and a habit of circling over dead animals, the Turkey vulture makes scary sounds with its hisses and grunts that sound like a monster is over you.

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Thanks For Reading!

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