Is it quiet at night? Are you kidding me? Are you serious when you say that! We introduce you to 25 animal species that can make a lot of noise in the dark. You can recognize these animals by these noises at night.

In a nutshell

  • Animals make a variety of noises at night
  • Birds sing or call
  • Cats or martens scream loudly
  • Cultural successors such as raccoons and wild boars are noisy at night
  • croaking frogs/toads and chirping insects are not uncommon

birds

Only a few bird species are actually nocturnal, including the various species of owl. These often hunt mice, which also travel under cover of darkness. The only nocturnal songbird is the nightingale, with its distinctive, beautiful song. You will hear the animal noises of these birds very often at night.

Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos)

  • Look: inconspicuous brown with a lighter underside
  • Happen: dense bushes near the water
  • Voice: loud and very variable; chirp, whistle, trill

Notice: Only male nightingales sing, preferably during the mating season between early spring and mid-May. The singing can be heard between 11pm and into the wee hours of the morning. In summer, nightingales also sing during the day, presumably to defend their territory.

Tengmalm's Owl (Aegolius funereus)

  • Look: square-looking, stocky head with yellow eyes, dark brown plumage with white dots
  • Happen: in coniferous forests or conifer stands, breeds in black woodpecker holes
  • Voice: slightly rising "hu-hu-hu-hu-hu-hu" (males), females make short, sharp calls

Barn owl (Tyto alba)

  • Look: white, heart-shaped face; white underparts and very light underwings; grey-brown upper side
  • Happen: breeds in cavities of attics, barns and church towers
  • Voice: screeching and hissing sounds during the breeding season (March to December)

Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium passerinum)

  • Look: Roundish head with yellow eyes, brown plumage with white spots on top, narrow breast markings, short tail
  • Happen: in coniferous forests and mixed forests dominated by conifers, breeds in woodpecker holes
  • Voice: "Tüh-düdü-düdü", a strong initial sound followed by softer tones, sometimes drawn out

Notice: The shy pygmy owl is the smallest species of European owl, only about the size of a starling. It often hunts at dusk.

little owl (Athene noctua)

  • Look: broad face with yellow eyes, white speckled skull, long neck and short tail
  • Happen: Cave breeders, common in pastures and old fruit trees; It also lives in some areas in towns and sometimes breeds in buildings there
  • Voice: "uuuh" in a loose row

Notice: Little owls are very territorial birds. When the fledged offspring leaves the parental territory at the age of two to three months, it usually settles only a few kilometers away from the place of birth.

Tawny owl (Strix aluco)

  • Look: large head with white stripes; broad and rounded wings; short tail
  • Happen: Cave breeders, in forests, parks and other mature trees (e.g. large gardens)
  • Voice: long, howling rows of calls in autumn and spring (males); short and sharp "kvitt" from females

Notice: The tawny owl's chilling howl can often be heard in scary movies. The widespread bird also hunts in open areas at night, which is why it is not only heard in forests.

Long-eared owl (Asio otus)

  • Look: large owl with orange eyes; large, mostly raised feather ears; low-contrast colored wings
  • Happen: breeds on forest edges, in copses and groups of trees; hunts in open country at night
  • Voice: rows of dull "huh" sounds; squawking calls can be heard from young birds

mammals

Nocturnal mammals usually make themselves noticeable through movement and eating noises, but can also scream, grunt, squeak, bark, etc. These animals often make themselves noticeable through noises at night.

Badger (Meles meles)

  • Look: distinctive black and white striped face mask
  • Happen: Widespread, mostly common in forests, covery copses and wide hedges
  • Lute: mainly in the "Ranzzeit" (mating season) from July; Shrill screams reminiscent of children's screams

house mouse (Mus musculus)

  • Look: grey-brown fur, large ears, pointed snout
  • Happen: mostly in barns, storerooms, grain silos, garbage dumps and in houses (there often in partition walls)
  • Lute: mainly movement noises, e.g. B. rustling, tripping, gnawing, scratching

Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus)

  • Look: Back densely covered with spines two to three centimeters long
  • Happen: in forests rich in undergrowth, bushy forest edges, parks and gardens
  • Sounds: very loud smacking when eating, panting, hissing, penetrating screaming when in danger

Red fox (Vulpes vulpes)

  • Look: bushy tail with a white tip, red-brown fur
  • Happen: originally a forest dweller; today in almost all habitats; also in big cities
  • Sounds: very diverse; Barking, cackling, growling, whining, (shrill) screaming

Dormouse (Glis glis)

  • Look: long, bushy tail; large, black eyes; grey fur
  • Happen: in mixed forests, orchards, in semi-natural gardens and parks, also in garden houses, stables and in attics
  • Lute: noisy, rumbling noises in lofts of young animals; Squeaks, squeaks, whistles, murmurs, whistles

Notice: Closely related but less common is the smaller garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus), which can be distinguished from the dormouse by the black facial mask. It makes similar noises at night.

Beech marten (Martes foina)

  • Look: Black-brown fur with a white throat, elongated body with a long, bushy tail
  • Happen: adaptable culture follower, common in human settlements; also in forests and arable land
  • Lute: loud rumbling, screaming and squeaking in attics (caused by rampaging young animals); adult animals are mostly calm, but can scream loudly and shrillly (e.g. during turf wars), hiss and bark

Raccoon (Procyon lotor)

  • Look: distinctive black face mask; long black and white banded tail
  • Happen: Deciduous and mixed forests with tree hollows, as close as possible to water; often near human settlements
  • Sounds: diverse; Screeching, squeaking, growling

Wild boar (Sus scrofa)

  • Look: dense, bristly fur; long snout
  • Happen: preferably in mixed forests and maize fields, increasingly also near or within settlements
  • Sounds: very diverse; Grunts, squeaks, squeaks, snorts

Notice: Wild boars live together in packs and are usually active at dusk or at night when they are close to humans. They now even live in the middle of big cities and find plenty of food there.

amphibians

Amphibians - which include frogs and toads - are among the animals that make noises at night. Frogs in particular can get very loud, because their two sound sacs amplify the creaking, cackling and croaking sounds. The intensive and persistent croaking can be heard especially in the courtship season between the end of April and June. Only green frogs (i.e. pond frogs) also croak during the day.

Notice: Since frogs and toads have been protected by a decision of the Federal Court of Justice since 1992, the croaking in the garden pond has to be accepted - even by the neighbors.

Common Toad (Bufo bufo)

  • Look: relatively dry, warty and brown skin, copper colored eyes with level pupils
  • Happen: mainly in meadows and in forests; only in May in spawning waters (still or calmed waters)
  • Voice: quiet "öök-öök-öök", only during the spawning season in May

Yellow-bellied Toad (Bombina variegata)

  • Look: grey-brown colored top with warts; striking yellow, spotted underside
  • Happen: between April and October almost exclusively in standing water (ponds, ponds, small bodies of water); primarily in southern and central Germany
  • Voice: bell-like, soft "ung-ung-ung"

Notice: Closely related is the fire-bellied toad (Bombina bombina), which occurs mainly in northern and central Germany and also makes similar noises.

Common frog (Rana temporaria)

  • Look: variable upper side of brown, gray or yellow tones, mostly with a dark brown spotted pattern
  • Happen: in almost all humid biotopes, outside the mating season on land
  • Voice: has no vocal sacs, so croaking sounds like a dull growl

Notice: The common frog is the most common frog species in Germany, which is often at home in garden ponds and gardens that are managed in a near-natural way.

Tree frog (Hyla arborea)

  • Look: grass green with dark flank stripes
  • Happen: usually sits on bushes, blackberry hedges and trees, only during the spawning season in sunny ponds and ponds
  • Voice: Loud and rhythmic "äpp-äpp-äpp", mainly in the evening and at night

Notice: In contrast to other native amphibians, the tree frog can climb very well, and it also likes to sunbathe. His skin is comparatively insensitive to strong sunlight.

Pond Frog (Rana esculenta)

  • Look: light to dark green coloration with brown spots, light underside; two lateral sound bubbles
  • Happen: in plant-rich ponds, ponds, lakes and ditches; stays in or near the water most of the time, even outside of the mating season
  • Voice: loud croaking of the males can be heard throughout the summer

Green toad (Bufo viridis)

  • Look: "Camouflage" toad, upper surface with irregularly shaped green fields and bright zones sharply delineated from them; many reddish warts
  • Happen: in open, sunny terrain (especially meadows, heathland, dry grassland, dunes or gravel pits); Ponds with little vegetation and flat shore areas are preferred as spawning waters
  • Voice: Males have a sonic sac on their throats, which they use to produce long-lasting trill calls (“ürrr”) during the mating season; similar to mole cricket

insects

Even in the insect kingdom, things are not quiet at night: cicadas, macaws or crickets can chirp very loudly, mostly by rubbing their wings. These animals make a lot of noise at night.

Mountain Cicada (Cicadetta montana)

  • Look: black-brown coloring with transparent, shiny wings; orange border on abdominal segments
  • Happen: in Germany from the low mountain ranges southward; on sunlit slopes, clearings and dry grassland
  • Singing: male sings with specially trained organs; loud and sharp singing lasting two to three seconds

Field cricket (Gryllus campestris)

  • Look: black with brownish wings; Head wider than body
  • Happen: in dry, sunny areas with low vegetation, in heaths, dry grassland and on embankments
  • Sounds: Loud, echoing chirping in the evening hours (“zri-zri-zri”)

Notice: The field cricket digs about 20 centimeters deep burrows into which it flees when threatened. In the evening, the male sits in front of the entrance to his tube and chirps his song, which can be heard up to 100 meters away, through the rhythmic stringing of his wings.

Common Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus)

  • Look: mostly greenish basic colour, but also brownish, yellowish or reddish
  • Happen: widespread, occurs on almost all overgrown areas
  • Sounds: on warm summer evenings until midnight, short and scratchy sounds ("sräsräsräsrä")

Common bush cricket (Pholidoptera griseoaptera)

  • Look: short wings, cannot fly; bright yellow belly
  • Happen: widespread in bushy meadows and forest clearings, at forest edges, in gardens and parks
  • Noise: Loud chirping caused by wing rubbing during mating season (males only)

Notice: The female lays her eggs in dead wood or in the ground in autumn. The larvae hatch only in the summer of the second year and develop into sexually mature animals within a few weeks.

frequently asked Questions

What birds sing at night?

Only owls and the only songbird, the nightingale, are really nocturnal. However, many songbirds begin singing just before or during dawn during the breeding season, following a tight schedule. With the help of this "bird clock" you can easily recognize who is singing.

What can you do about croaking frogs?

Frogs can croak quite loudly at up to 90 decibels. So it's no wonder that some people feel disturbed in their night's sleep. However, the amphibians are strictly protected, so that the neighboring pond does not have to be filled in or the animals removed. Relocation is only permitted in exceptional cases. In any case, most frogs only croak for a short time, during which closed windows and possibly earplugs can help.

Which animal screams loudly and shrilly at night?

Hidden behind a nocturnal, shrill and often described as uncanny screaming are often nocturnal animals such as martens, badgers or domestic cats. These sounds are most commonly heard during turf wars or during mating season and can last for more than 20 minutes. Owls can also screech loudly and shrilly.

Category:

Animals in the garden