To the cry, call or voice of many animals a special name is attributed. Rarely can the accepted name of the cry be changed. Here you will find a selection from Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Perhaps some will end up in your text:
apes gibber
asses bray
bears growl
bees hum
bitterns boom
bulls bellow
calves bleat
cats mew, purr, swear and caterwaul (swear?)
crows caw
cuckoos cuckoo
dogs bark, bay, howl and yelp
doves coo
eagles, vultures and peacocks scream
flies buzz
foxes bark and yelp
hawks scream
ravens croak
Some I didn't know:
beetles drone
blackcap 'chick-chicks'
falcons chant
grasshoppers chirp and pitter
grouse drums
guineafowls cry 'come back'
nightingales pipe and warble and 'jug-jug'
swallows twitter (hence the Twitter avatar?)
whitethroat chirrs
Squirrels chatter
ReplyDeleteRabbits squeal (though only when suddenly frightened)
Horses and ponies neigh
Donkeys and mules bray
Foxes yip and bark
Basenjis, though are dogs as stated above, do not make normal dog sounds except for a short bark: rather they will yodel when excitged and happy.
Elephants trumpet
Snakes hiss.
Thanks for the feedback, Barbara. I left out some of the obvious ones, like horses and snakes. Interesting about those Basenjis, though!
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