Bellow in the forest – Roe deer warns

Submitted by Looduskalender EN on Sat, 05.05.2018 - 13:09
Sisu

 

A roe deer buck and its bellow were recorded on the trail camera of the Tallinn Waldorf School. And what a scary sound. Now we know who makes that terrible sound in the forest!
Estonian text posted by the Team of the Animal of the Year  on 03.05.2018
Translation Liis

 

 

The bark of a roe deer is one of the strongest and most scary sounds in the forest. It carries very far and it is heard quite often. It is as if the horrible bellow comes from the very depths of the lungs. With this call the roe deer warns his cospecifics. Whether he has heard crackling in the copse or smells something suspicious – others have to be warned off. As a prey animal he is always prepared for a predator to be attacking.  
We seem to hear this sound more often in autumn. In fact roe deer bark all year round. 
Both bark – the female as well as male. The female's barks are  a little more quiet and more high-pitched, the buck longer and at a lower pitch. In summer the bellows are less frequently heard because the doe  does not bark then, she has kids and she does not want to reveal their location. The bucks bark in summer evenings too. The barking of the doe begins to be heard more again in the autumn when her kids that now are able to flee must be warned. 
Both sexes bark in the spring – after the break up of the winter flocks there is more movement and more sounds too.
Winter is quieter because for leading the large flocks it is sufficient that only one animal bellows as a warning. 

We use cookies on our website to support technical features that enhance your user experience.

We also use analytics & advertising services. To opt-out click for more information.