If you’ve ever camped outdoors at night or have owls near your home, you may have heard their haunting hoots pierce the darkness. Owls vocalize for various reasons, including defending territories and attracting mates, but exactly how long and how often do they hoot during a typical night?
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: Owls can hoot sporadically or for long stretches at night depending on factors like the species, time of year, and whether it’s mating season.
Most owls are primarily nocturnal and do the majority of their hooting at night across seasons.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover details on the hooting behaviors of different owl species, when they are most vocal, how long their hoots last, what impacts the frequency and duration of their nighttime calls, and how you can identify species by sound.
Typical Hooting Patterns by Species
Barred Owls
The Barred Owl is well known for its distinctive “who cooks for you, who cooks for you all” hooting call. This medium-sized owl typically hoots 8-20 times per minute, with calls lasting about one second each.
Barred Owls are most vocal right before dawn and after dusk, with peak calling times in spring and fall during mating and territory establishment. In winter, Barred Owls may call sporadically throughout the night to touch base with their mate.
Their recognizable calls can be heard up to 1.5 miles away!
Great Horned Owls
The large and powerful Great Horned Owl has a deep, booming “hoo-hoo-hoo, hoo, hoo” call. Male Great Horned Owls call more frequently than females, hooting to establish territories and attract mates. Peak calling occurs in late winter and early spring during breeding season.
Great Horned Owls typically call 5-8 times per minute, with each call lasting about one second. Calls can be heard up to 3 miles away. These impressive owls also make a shrieking “kee-kee-kee” sound during aggressive encounters.
Eastern Screech Owls
The Eastern Screech Owl is known for its haunting, whinnying trill call that descends in pitch – often described as a “bouncing ball” call. Males make this call to defend territories and find mates, while females use it to contact their mate.
Eastern Screech Owls call most actively between February and June, with peak activity on moonlit nights. They call about once per minute, and the call carries up to 1 mile. If another male Screech Owl encroaches on its territory, an owl may call up to 200 times per hour!
These small owls also produce a soft, staccato whistling as a contact call.
Barn Owls
The eerie, raspy scream of the Barn Owl is one of the most distinctive owl calls. Often described as sounding like a human scream, Barn Owl shrieks are usually made by the male as part of mating behavior.
Barn Owls call most frequently from February to July, though they may vocalize year-round, particularly on dark, moonless nights. A single scream may be repeated every 2-30 seconds for hours. The piercing call can be heard up to 2 miles away.
Barn Owls also make a hissing sound during nest defense and clapping sounds with their beaks during courtship displays.
Snowy Owls
Snowy Owls have a relatively quiet, barking “krek-krek” call, though they are not very vocal. Males produce this call most often in late winter and early spring to establish nesting territories and attract mates. The barking call is mainly heard at dawn and dusk and can carry more than a mile.
Snowy Owls may also snap their beaks together rapidly when agitated. Compared to other owls, Snowy Owls are mostly silent predators – their feathering allows for stealthy, noiseless flight.
Northern Saw-Whet Owls
The tiny Northern Saw-Whet Owl produces an eerie, monotonous trilling call – “toot, toot, toot” – that lasts about 2 seconds and repeats every 5-7 seconds. Their repetitive call has been likened to the ringing of a saw being sharpened on a whetstone, hence their name.
Saw-Whets call year-round, but vocal activity peaks between March and June, during courtship and nesting. Though their voice is quiet, the call can be heard up to .5 miles away through forests and woodlands.
This secretive owl lacks ear tufts and has an enormous head that makes its body seem even smaller!
What Factors Impact Hooting Frequency and Duration
Time of Year and Seasons
Owls hoot more frequently during their breeding season, which varies by species and location. In North America, most owls breed between late winter and early spring. Calls are used to attract mates and defend territories. Hooting peaks when owls are establishing nest sites and laying eggs.
After chicks hatch, vocalizations become less frequent as parents focus on hunting to feed their young. Hooting picks up again in late summer and fall as juveniles disperse and adults prepare for the next breeding season.
Mating Seasons
The mating seasons of different owl species impact their hooting patterns. For example, great horned owls in most areas breed between January and April when their deep hoots can be heard more often. Meanwhile, northern saw-whet owls breed between March and May and vocalize more during those months.
Barred owls in the southeast may start hooting and finding mates as early as September or October. Understanding when each species breeds helps explain when their nighttime calls will peak in number and duration.
Territorial Defense
Owls hoot to claim territories and warn competing owls to stay away. Males call frequently before and during the breeding season to establish boundaries. Hooting ramps up when defending nest sites or favorite hunting grounds from intruders.
If a neighboring owl hoots, an owl may respond with aggressive territorial calls. These owl interactions can lead to extended bouts of hooting throughout the night, especially during peak breeding times.
Weather and Moon Phase
Weather conditions influence how often and how far owl hoots carry at night. Cool, damp nights are ideal for sound transmission, allowing owl calls to be heard from farther away. Therefore, on humid nights with little wind, owls may space out their hoots more since they carry well.
On hot, dry nights, hoots don’t travel as far so owls call more frequently. Strong winds can also inhibit an owl’s ability to hear responses, prompting individuals to hoot repeatedly. The brightness of the moon may also impact vocalizations.
With more light, owls rely less on calls and listen for prey movement instead.
Age of the Owl
Younger owls tend to hoot more frequently than mature adults. Juveniles arriving at new territories call often to search for a mate and claim an area. Unpaired young males may hoot for many hours throughout the night during breeding season.
Older, established pairs are less vocal since they do not need to attract a mate. However, older males may still hoot regularly to warn competitors away. In general, the hooting levels of younger owls are higher than owls that have secured a territory and mate.
Identifying Owls by Their Hoots and Calls
Barred Owl Calls
The barred owl’s call is often described as sounding like “who cooks for you, who cooks for you all.” This distinctive call, which birders often remember as the owl asking “who? “, consists of eight separate hoots that descend slightly in pitch at the end.
Barred owls will call year-round but are most vocal from courtship through nesting season. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, barred owls call the most just before dawn, with a peak in calling around 5 am.
Great Horned Owl Hoots
The great horned owl’s deep, booming hoots are one of the classic sounds of nighttime. Male great horned owls give a distinctive one to four deep, resonant hoots: “hoo-h’HOO-hoo-hoo.” Females make a higher pitched “oo-OO-oo” call.
Great horned owls call nearly year-round but are most vocal in late winter and early nesting season from late January through April.
Eastern Screech Owl Whistles and Trills
The eastern screech owl delivers a haunting, trembling whinny or trill most often from late winter into spring. Cornell notes the whistles sound like a horse whinnying. They also produce a bouncing ball trill used during courtship.
Screech owls are small but deliver an impressively loud, carrying call that belies their size. In late summer they produce a begging call that sounds like the whinny of a distressed horse.
Common Barn Owl Screeches
Despite its name, the common barn owl does not “hoot” but instead produces eerie, raspy screeches. The screeches can sound like sharp scraping noises or high-pitched screams. Audubon notes this nocturnal owl’s screeches are often described as sounding like a woman screaming.
Barn owls screech to communicate with mates and defend nesting sites. They are most vocal while nesting from late winter to mid summer.
Snowy Owl Communication Sounds
Snowy owls don’t hoot, but the males produce a barking “kreck kreck” sound and females make a lower croaking noise. These large owls also hiss and bill snap to communicate. According to All About Birds, snowies are generally silent but can be very vocal on breeding territories, making up to 1,000 vocalizations per day.
Northern Saw-Whet Owl Toots
The tiny saw-whet owl produces a monotonous, whistling “toot toot toot” call that repeats steadily for hours on end. The call sounds like a truck backing up. Saw-whets are most vocal from late winter to mid spring during mating season.
According to the University of Michigan, the males toot to advertise breeding territories and attract females. These little owls can toot repeatedly with as little as 10 seconds between calls.
Conclusion
Owls captivate us with their wide eyes and mysterious nighttime hoots, but as we’ve learned, their vocalizations serve important purposes in reproduction, communication, and territorial defense. Whether sporadic or long winded, the unique hoots of different owl species reveal a lot about their behaviors, habitats, and lifestyles.
Now that you know more about typical hooting durations, seasonal impacts on vocal activity, and how to identify common species by sound, you can unlock new meaning and appreciation the next time you hear the hoots of these remarkable nocturnal hunters piercing the night.
