What makes a screaming noise at night

The extremely loud shrieking noise can sometimes even sound like a woman screaming, and can send shivers down the spine of the bravest of folk. But it may not be a cause for concern, as it is probably the sounds of some nearby foxes. The common fox, the Red Fox is known to screech and scream all year round, and both male and female foxes love the sounds of their own voices during the night.

However, it is not just the screaming noises that foxes use to communicate. Foxes can create up to 12 different sounds in order to make themselves known or heard! For the most part, when making noise, foxes may howl and bark, sounding much like dogs in the distance.

If you were not paying attention, you may even think that it is a neighboring dog that you are hearing. That is until the screaming commences.

If you are unsure what a fox scream sounds like, then think of what it would sound like if someone nearby was screeching whilst being attacked or murdered… and you should be spot on! Though these are usually hidden spots in dense cover like bramble patches or piles of rubbish, you may be lucky enough to spot a fox napping in the sunshine out in the open.

Some foxes share setts with badgers, taking over an abandoned section. Despite urban foxes being much easier to see than rural foxes, most foxes do live in rural areas such as woodland, farmland and wetland habitats.

Rural foxes are very shy and, unfortunately, have declined by 34 per cent since You are much more likely to see a fox trotting down the street or denning under your shed. You can help to protect foxes across Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside by becoming a member of the Trust and supporting our work.

Become a member today. Famed for their cunning and stealth, these orangey-red dogs with their bushy tails can be seen in towns and the countryside. They come…. At dead of night, with the hubbub of the day evaporated, your sight is so limited that sounds seem to ring out more clearly.

The sheer number and the clarity of nocturnal noises in the countryside is astonishing. The twit twoo call of the tawny owl is a familiar one and people who live in towns are probably more used to the blood-curdling screams, barks and general chattering of foxes than many country folk unless you live in Midsomer Murders territory, where there always seems to be a fox yapping in the background.

They make such a loud, unearthly range of sounds that our old labrador is often quite terrified when he goes out for a late-night pee and hears these little barn owls puffing at full volume.

There are, however, two birds that I have yet to hear in the wild: the whirring of the nightjar or the crake-ing, like the scraping of a comb, of the once common corncrake, which can still be heard on some of the Western Isles of Scotland.

In Highland glens and on Exmoor, autumn brings the creepy belching of rutting red-deer stags, punctuated by the ferocious clashing of antlers, a hard, bleak sound that echoes in valleys. After that, I figured every scream I heard in the night was a barn owl, but that isn't the case.

Bobcats are capable of making a similar sound that will certainly get your attention if you're out in the woods. One other source of scream-like sounds surprised me — foxes. Yep, they can give you goose bumps, too. Here are a few videos that may help you figure out what those screams you heard in the woods were.