Gray Heron Sounds

Overview
ID info
Life History
Maps
Sounds

Calls (Gray)
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Vlaamse Gewest, May 25, 2007Recorded by Peter Boesman / Macaulay Library
Calls (Gray)
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Rift Valley, September 06, 1963Recorded by Myles E. W. North / Macaulay Library
Calls (Gray)
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Vlaamse Gewest, March 30, 2021Recorded by Peter Boesman / Macaulay Library
Calls (Gray)
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Noord-Brabant, May 10, 2008Recorded by Peter Boesman / Macaulay Library

Sounds provided by Macaulay Library.
Listen to more sounds of this species from the ML archive.

Calls

Most common call is a harsh, raspy note given in flight. Other calls are similar in tone, but vary in pitch, length, and how frequently they are given. Most vocal at breeding colonies, where adults give yelps, gargles, squawks, growls, and wails, and begging chicks chatter frequently to appeal for food.

Other Sounds

Gray Herons make loud bill snaps during aggressive encounters and sometimes during pair greetings. Birds also quietly rattle their bill during pair formation, or more rarely, clatter it loudly, as storks do.