Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay Sounds

Overview
ID info
Life History
Maps
Sounds

Calls (Woodhouse's)
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Arizona, May 27, 1999Recorded by Geoffrey A. Keller | Macaulay Library
Calls (Woodhouse's)
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New Mexico, March 16, 1980Recorded by Dale A. Zimmerman | Macaulay Library
Calls (Woodhouse's)
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Texas, July 23, 2016Recorded by Jay McGowan | Macaulay Library
Calls (Sumichrast's)
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Oaxaca, August 01, 2013Recorded by Eric R. Gulson C. | Macaulay Library
Calls (Sumichrast's)
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Oaxaca, May 19, 1960Recorded by L. Irby Davis | Macaulay Library
Calls (Sumichrast's)
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Oaxaca, August 01, 2013Recorded by Eric R. Gulson C. | Macaulay Library

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

Songs

Both males and females sing a soft medley of sweet notes that can last up to 5 minutes. Scrub-jays typically do this only during courtship and when the pair is close together.

Calls

Woodhouse's Scrub-Jays are extremely vocal. Behaviorists have described more than 20 separate types of calls for this and the closely related California Scrub-Jay. Examples include a weep uttered during flight, while carrying nesting material, or while taking cover from a flying predator; a bell-like shlenk used antagonistically, a quiet kuk exchanged between mates, and loud, rasping scolds for mobbing predators.

Other Sounds

Scrub-jays often clack their bill mandibles together to make a sharp rapping. Their wings make a whooshing sound on takeoff, and they exaggerated this during altercations.