What does the Western Screech-Owl sound like at night?
Press play. If that is the sound outside, you have your answer — the Western Screech-Owl's "boing, boing, boing-boing-boing".
What you're hearing
A short series of soft whistles that speed up slightly and then trail off, like a rubber ball losing bounce. This is the classic sound most birders learn first.
“boing, boing, boing-boing-boing”
Birders often file this one under Bouncing-ball song.
What time of night you hear it
After nightfall, most persistently in late winter and spring.
They are active all year, but easiest to detect on calm nights from late winter into spring when pairs call more often. By day, they usually disappear into bark and shadows.
Why a Western Screech-Owl calls at night
A series of short whistles that speeds up like a ball bouncing to a stop — the "bouncing ball" song. It is the western counterpart to the Eastern Screech-Owl and fills the same suburban and canyon niche after dark.
What else could it be?
The other voices you are most likely to hear in the dark. Play them and compare.