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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ต.ค. 2021
- Once you hear it, you can’t unhear it. Sorry!
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If you’ve seen any remotely creepy movie, you’ve heard a loon wail: that mournful, nearly human ooo-ooo-oooo. It pops up whenever a movie needs to convey melancholy or trepidation, often accompanied by a full moon or some fog. But for the most part, loons have no business being in the background of those scenes.
With the help of some internet birders, we took a deep dive (pun intended) into the world of loons to explain how Hollywood misuses this bird call - and why the wail is so haunting in the first place.
To learn more about loons and what you can do to help protect them check out the Loon Preservation Committee (loon.org/) and the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation (www.adkloon.org/).
Check out the Switched on Pop podcast from Charlie Harding here: open.spotify.com/show/1sgWaKt...
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Thanks for watching! As some of you have mentioned--the loon's isn't the only bird call that Hollywood gets wrong. That sound you hear when a bald eagle is on screen? That's a red-tailed hawk. And kookaburras are another bird whose call is used in habitats and places the kookaburra doesn't belong.
Notice any others? Let us know in the comments below 👇
First reply?
Last reply?
I think a lot of Australian birds get used completely out of context. As an Australian its fairly immersion-breaking to hear these calls in like jungle scenes.
Hi there,
I'm a sound designer for films and games. I just wanted to say that I get that soundscapes should be environmentally correct but in my opinion this isn't the whole story. There are sounds that has been established in films to convey a certain message and become sort of a standard of how things sound. Loon is certainly one of them. But I wanted to say that in film things don't necessarily need to be 100% realistic. Randy Thom one of the most well known sound designers, said that realism is just a tool. One of the tools to use when creating sound for movies. Whatever you end up using can be completely unrealistic. The most important part of the job is how it makes people feel. Recently I was doing a car chase scene and I ended up using tiger roars for engine revs... I mean completely inaccurate but boy it sounded great. Many times I would use a cannon sound as a layer for gunshots. Do you know that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer lion uses the sound of a tiger instead? That is simply because tiger roars sound nice... I mean it is not like you cannot find another sounds that would probably have the same feel as loon does... there are so many bird species out there. Crane has an awesome call that could be used instead. However for a desert scene one could argue that it should be almost completely silent. And that is certainly one direction you could go for but there is another direction: use sounds that people associate with desolate quiet places. I mean it's a creative decision. Onthe other hand in a recent Netflix film Kate sound designers used amazing recordings of japanese cicadas. I was in Japan a couple years ago and I have to say that I was impressed that they used this absolutely accurate sound to make the scene feel scary and intense. I guess what I wanted to say is that I'm glad that people pay attention to sound in films and also please understand that what you're watching is fiction and us sound designers sometimes use sounds to make things feel a certain way and not to be accurate. Enjoy your day :)
@@krzysiek_chodkiewicz awesome explanation! While sound design should evoke feeling, maybe it’s realized here that the loon sound can distract some people in that it is too cliche. I know I will notice a loon call next time it’s in a movie and I’ll start thinking about this!!!
It may be used in creepy scenes, but for anyone who grew up in an area where loons were common, it’s a calming, peaceful sound.
I often heard them around lakes when i go camping or to my friends cottages
I was just thinking the same thing. It is a bit ominous I guess, but if you're used to it then it is honestly quite a beautiful call that evokes a sense of connection to nature.
Very calming!
I live where there are common loons. They’re one of my favorites.
I love the sound. Nothing quite like fishing on a lake and having the loons on the lake with you.
So, basically, it is the bird equivalent of Wilhelm scream.
I came to say this but glad someone already did lol 😂
@@Zuul47 Same lol
Yes
Came to say this as well. Specially after this video I will never NOT hear it in a show/movie now...
Yes but Wilhelm scream is almost always used ironically these days.
I had the honor of voicing this creepy bird in Finding Dory! Andrew Stanton didn’t want me to sound anything like a loon because of how haunting an actual loon sounds, so Becky was modeled after a chicken instead.
Lol nice
that's so cool!
Why couldn't they just get a bird?
I was one of the seagulls.
I do belive mine was the best "mine!"
I made that mine, mine.
It's not creepy... Go experience it at 6 am while sipping your morning coffee, where the water is so still it looks like glass. You just watch too many movies and don't get out enough
It’s not just the notes that make it moody - you completely brushed over the way that large ponds and woodland make the sound reverberate and echo - creating an instant sense of a big empty space devoid of people.
I like that
As a Canadian, I can never understand why people find the sound creepy. I can only associate it with camping, fishing, hiking, hunting etc. Nothing but good times.
I'm not Canadian but I always felt the same. I love the loon call, even though they're not common to Hoosiers.
We hawe them right outside my fathers farmhouse (not exactly the same as the American, but very closly related species i think). They hawe always been among my favorite animals of all categories.
@@sheep1ewe I’d love to hear more about that. Sounds idyllic !
@@EBThisThat Unfortunatly i am not that good storyteller, but i would love to make a video about it in the future if there is interest. The birds look almost identical but they hawe a more slender head and the howling is a bit more distinct two tone i think (there are actualy two different species of them greater and smaller red ones wich does not hawe this howl, as i heard, in Canada and parts of North America there are a third species as well, wich are the one represented in this video i think it is too could for them in the north scandinavia and probably also northern Canada as i guess, so i suppose there must be a similar division of the species in Canada as well). My father had a deer farm in the north, the farmland also includes a system of ponds both natural and areas of subtropic wetlands restored back to wildlife habitats for the birds in the woods (we also concidering bring some native species of crayfish there in order to help preserve the population, but fish and crayfish can not be combined bbecause the crayfishes are omnivore who predate on fish roe, but as soon as the waterleve has established i will try to bring some freshwater clams there i think to serve as natural water purificators), the house it self is nothing special i think, however it lies close to the lake shore and are almost surounded by the forest and my fathers gardenexperiments and tree sapplings from old local species of fruit trees and and timberwood species he did collect as a small arboretum like garden, but my own house are from that era when the farmers in this particular region produced water processed linen wich gave a much better quality linen fibres compared to dry rot linen from the south. My house are not that beautifuly located as my parents house but still very close to the forest and aboat a mile to the local lakeshore so i am plaesed with the location anyway. I got some tree sapplings from my fther from time to time i used to plant here as well as an expansion of the arboretum project.
Yes, i genuinly love the forests here, remainds a lot of Canada but a bit more dense populated here but there are still large areas of forest still left. There is a small twin lake wich borders my fathers property, one of the sections has a small island where i used to explore as a kid and watching the fishes swimming while i lied on an old boatbridge gazing down the blue water in the autumn days, its very beautiful and serenity there with white lilly pads and cloudberry wetlands deep in the forest.
@@sheep1ewe I need to visit !
The loon call is definitely a sound you feel with your whole body.
I had the chance to camp right next to a nice, small lake where a loon resided.
In the space of the three weeks a was there, I heard him sing every evening and morning. O saw it do some fly dance with an other loon. Heard the craziest sounds that no loon audio clip showed me before.
People need to talk more about the environment in which you hear it. The lake's shape will change the echo. It's an auditorium in a sense.
Not anymore! This sound is ruined
Reminds me of your hooded merganser / jumping ducklings video published on Terra Mater back in the day! They basically look the same 😂
@@yannickchayer1609 Sounds like a great camping trip!
Have you ever heard the calls of the Hooded Merganser? These recordings sound more like a frog than a bird.
Even the peen?
am I the only one who thinks it's effective because it resembles the sound made by wolves and sends you thinking about isolation and loneliness?
I was reminded of an owl
Definitely, that's exactly what I think
That doesn't sound like an owl at all, they sound nothing like an owl? Have you never heard an owl??
@@KAHHHH8548there are many kind of owls with different kind of sound.
The loon cry made my grandfather sad... he spent most of his life working in northern forests and was away from his family for months at a time. The loons were a constant reminder of how far away he was from all the people he loved.
as a canadian, the loon’s call instantly takes me back to camping as a child and hearing the bird’s call float across the lake’s water just after sunset. it’s not really creepy; eerie, for sure, but quite lovely.
I live in Northwestern Ontario. I love the loons call in the twilight hours.
I was hoping to find this comment! I totally agree, the loon is beautiful!
I agree! Loon calls bring back such nice memories, it's my favorite sound.
Yup definitely, I live in Manitoba and hear them all summer
Same in BC. It's just sort of background camping or kayaking noise.
I’ve always thought of it as the bird equivalent to a wolf’s howl. It’s the sound in movies that resembles “you’re in the middle of nowhere” or at peace with your far off “nature surroundings”. I do recall hearing the other calls in some movies and documentaries as well. Overall pretty interesting bird.
I always thought it was a bad wolf call, and a bunch of films just lazily used the same sound effect with minor tweaks. Now I know what the sound is it seems even lazier to use it.
The BBC uses a fox call to do the same thing in the UK, we call it the "BBC fox" which means, you're in the middle of nowhere - but then foxes are everywhere in the UK. I can remember the loon call being in the early Age of Empires games. I guess if you live outside of North America it's just a very foreign animal sound that makes you wonder "what else is out there.....?"
@@raccoontrashpanda1467 why?
I was going to comment the same thing -- actually, in pitch, it sounds more like a coyote howl to me than a wolf howl, but it's the same effect. And it made me think about how the call of the mourning dove is frequently mistaken for the hoot of an owl. I wondered if some of the Hollywood use of the loon wail was by people who wanted, or thought they were using, a canid howl.
I would think the canid howl would symbolize much the same thing (wilderness, remoteness). Owl calls are good for that too, but it seems like they largely know that owl calls mean "night", and some of the scenes shown in this video are definitely not night-time. But, the argument against my suggestion above (that productions use a loon when they want a coyote) would be that I think canid howls (especially wolves) are meant to also suggest that the person hearing them is in danger from the wildlife being heard. In other words, that it emphasizes the wilderness/remoteness, and the dangers of being out there.
I don't *think* the loon call is meant to evoke that same feeling of danger? It seems like it shows up in plenty of scenes that are more tranquil.
At any rate, I was really grateful for this video! I'm going to be listening for loons from now on! I really love them, but I had not picked up on this phenomenon. (Unlike the well-known "use a red tailed hawk's call for an eagle" thing.)
@@raccoontrashpanda1467 I was thinking more iconic than lazy
As someone who grew up in Minnesota where there's a pair of loons on almost every lake. The loon wail is one of the most comforting nature sounds I can think of. Makes me think of a glass calm summer lake where there aren't even any boats out on the water. When they shared that the wail is the "where is everybody call?" that totally made sense. The loon wail is the psychological equivalent of a lake yawning to me. It's uh-aahhhh-uh.
I was born on the Range, spent my summers at the lake, and moved when I was in middle school. But I visit still. So for me it’s “home.”
Nothing better than falling asleep at the cabin to loon calls
Even I who dont see that many Loons, i find it very relaxing whenever i hear them
YES same!
One of the most iconic sounds in Canada. It’s not creepy at all, it is both melancholic and sooting at the same time. There is nothing better than sitting on the end of your lake dock before everyone else wakes in the morning with a cup of coffee, and listening to the loon calls over a misty covered lake. I was away from Canada for a long time and one of the first sounds I couldn’t wait to hear was the call of the loon, it immediately felt like I was home at last.
As a Minnesotan, loon calls are just the sound of being at the lake.
Oh, you betcha!!
100%
It's the same in Maine too.
My favorite thing is to go out early in the morning just before sunrise and just listen to them calling in the distance.
@@James-ho5te it’s THE BEST ☺️
@@hellomjb geez Louise, it’s yeah sure you Batcha!
As a Canadian; you hear loon calls almost all the time in the summer near lakes, it’s always been a relaxing noise that compliments nature. I only ever see people get scared when they have no idea what creature the sound is coming from and they assume it’s a wolf howling.
Now you can Imagine the state of their pants when city folks hear a common European red fox for the first time. 😂
Whenever I hear The loon I just think of wheat kings by Tragically Hip
Rest in peace Gord Gownie, you rock legend!
@@asmotaku haha, nothing will make a city dweller cower in fear faster than a bull elk’s bugling call; honestly it even makes me shiver a bit whenever I hear it.
I guess it kinda sounds like a wolf howling. maybe that's probably why
@@sylviamontaez3889 It sounds nothing like wolf howls. I grew up listening to coyotes and wolves at night. Even between those two there's a difference.
As my fellow Canadians have said below, yes: Loon sounds are very peaceful and relaxing during summertime cottage trips. Every time I hear a loon call i'm reminded of the good times spent up north with family and, honestly, I will never understand why they're used for creepy effect lol.
As a Canadian who would constantly go camping at national parks, I adore the sound of a loon. Gives me so much nostalgia and I love it. And sometimes my family would recreate the wail and you’d hear the loons nearby calling back. Truly magical
Not only is it the same bird call... it's the same clip. Same bird. Most of those iconic sounds in Hollywood are old sounds on CDs, just banks of sound bites. Fascinating to listen through them all.
The wilhelm scream/yell but bird version
@@thaboss32 my thouhgts exactly
@@thaboss32 came here to basically say this. But there are so many stock sound bites that are used it's really pointless to well point them out.
@@thaboss32 There's also the "eagle" call that is actually a red-tailed hawk call.
I seen a video of all the sounds in the original doom, most were from those types of sound libraries
The classic Kookaburra call is heard in so many movies as well, particularly in jungle scenes where this bird never naturally lives
As an Aussie I can't believe I haven't noticed this before. Sure I'll hear it everywhere now
Lol
@@dielaughing73 I never noticed the loons, and I'm Canadian. I guess the noises go over our heads.
I have never seen a kookaburra but i have heard their call EVERYWHERE in media
Don’t forget the dolphin sounds they make
The call of a loon has to be one of the greatest sounds there is. I almost always get goosebumps when I hear one just from how eerily beautiful it is
I went to college in my home state (Minnesota) and I remember in the first year, I played a loon wail for my international student friends. They said they were grateful I'd given them a heads up because if they'd heard it at night with no context it would've really freaked them out lol
Wait till you hear a Roebuck and not knowing what it is coming from.
Humans hearing a loon’s wail: so sad,
such melancholy, so lonely
Other Loons hearing a loon’s wail: “EY WHERE Y’ALL AT?”
Well, that literally means they are alone and most probably lonely, so yeah, it is kind of sad
The bird is lonely tho
That is exactly how English teachers interpret poems
Lots of people mistake the loon call for a wolf or coyote howl when they go out in the woods for the first time. I think that's why Hollywood puts the call in, like in Prisoner of Azkaban where there is a full moon.
Budget wolf, when the wolf stock sound is too expensive so you cheap out and use the loon while pocketing the difference. Stonks
Yeah I wouldn't have thought of a bird hearing this sound 😅
@@HercadosP That one intern that comes in clutch with their summer camping video they can pluck the loon call off for free.
@@lulu.562 where are you from?
@@HercadosP Alternative: it's mislabeled "coyote-wolf" but the head sound guy yells at the intern from Minnesota about how no one cares and uses it anyway
Thanks, Vox. I can never pretend that this is just a normal background sound in the movie anymore and will definitely have many ruined scenes in the future when hearing the sound in an errant place. 😂
Could part of its melancholy sound be attributed to the fact that it's often in the middle of a lake when it makes the sound, meaning there's always a lot of reverb (echo?) accompanying it? Whereas when we hear a crow or a robin it often has trees or buildings around it to break up that effect.
born and raised around loons (in more ways than one) - loon howles are extremely relaxing - camping by the lake is some of the best sleep you'll ever get!
why you stop uploading?
@@thedolphin3218 reasons - but I’ll be uploading again soon
i can't tell if your being sarcastic or serious
@@SirBitesALot101 I also grew up around loons. I really like the sound, just reminds me of being in the forest.
@@logtron huh, maybe i should go camping once in a while, thanks for telling me this
Growing up in the loon’s natural range, hearing that was a daily part of life at the cottage. It definitely does make me feel like I’m in nature when I hear it.
Lovely! ❤️
Lucky!
Couldn't agree more Sean. To me this is the sound of Thousand Islands.
Lucky you. Loon sound is so calming.
You're so right, I live in Québec and this is the sound you hear when you go fishing at 7pm at sunset
Agreed. Hearing the loon wail makes me think of spending summers with my family on canoe trips.
All this sound means to me is a deep calm, and an extreme sense of sombering nostalgia, like the call of past memories
as a Swede, this sound is very calming.
A loon: _“Hey! Where the heck is everyone?!”_
Human: _“Such a _*_haunting_*_ wail…”_
that’s a pretty haunting question tho
Imagine the world ending and all you hear as you look for your family is:
*oooooooWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooo*
It does sound lonely, though, so I think it fits.
I've never heared about loons, and I always thought this was a muffled wolf howl. Maybe it's a common mistake? That would explain all the associations with erie nighttime wildlife.
I thought that too !
Loons call at nightime wildlife. So if you use a loon OR a wolf, it is still wrong when played in a jungle, battlefield etc.
@@MaryArts Still, wolfs are way more widespread than loons, not limited to North-America only.
In a jungle it's still wrong, but it'd be ok from France to Japan.
@@ravonne6308 You might be right. It makes me sad though, cause the wolf is a dying species because of humans. There are rarely any wolfs in middle Europe and there are none in Japan...
My thoughts exactly !
Each time I heard this sound I always thought it was some wolf or something, to signal danger, or eeriness.
As an Anishnaabe person I’ve always felt a little weird about hearing a loon somewhere it’s supposed to be “spooky” and because it’s such a specific everyday occurrence to me. My mishoomis would often call back and fourth with them whenever we were outdoors. I guess I find slapping a hawk sound on top of an eagle way more annoying and out of place loons are just funny
I have loon calls and wails as my alarm sound, and other people get creeped out and mad at me about it. I do hear the "sadness" in it, but for me it's the sound of the lush norther woods at night, the perfect natural setting.
It just sounds more like a wolf then a wolf. In that, it sounds like the phonetic wolf sound we learn as children (awoo). Actual wolf calls sound closer to emergency sirens, especially at distance, and close up they're way more breathy then you'd imagine. Wolf calls are terrifying still, but they aren't as immediately recognisable. In fact, using a wolf call might sound 'cheap'. The loon just sounds a lot closer to a wolf in our mind, but it isn't 'threatening' it's haunting, it's beautiful. It suggests the unknown, the things that dwell deep in forests and jungles. It plays on our primal fears. Additionally, using the same sound to evoke that emotion is good film making. 99% of people don't care about audio outside of it has to sound nice. Using the same audio for the same reason across filmography let's the audio department evoke emotions quickly and effectively, by drawing on people's experience with other films. It creates an audio canon, an idea that always represents the same thing.
Your take on this is impeccable!
Agreed!
I also agree. I only learned after seeing this video that this sound was made by a bird. I've always thought it was a wolf sound. 🐺😅
I agree though I think there must be lots of bird calls with effective ambient mood qualities we don't know about and are missing out on hearing them used effectively
Couldn’t be any more spot on because I always thought that type of sound effect was supposed to be a wolf until today 🥲
I can’t believe people find this creepy, I live in Canada so I hear them all the time but I think they sound beautiful, especially when your fishing it just adds so much peace and ambience
Because as for everything else humans feels uncornfotable when something is very foreign to us. A lot of people dont even know it comes from a bird am sure, i didnt. So is great to put in movies. Since it sound very different to other sounds and i always feel is a little creepy.
Although where I live, they do not appear (Brazil), I agree with you.
@@lucaskp16 corn
Their wail sounds either like a wolf howl or an owl. I never knew it was from a bird like this.
@@flamah10n teu cu man
The Loon call is not a “creepy” sound. If you grew up in Canada you hear them all the time in the summer and quite frankly the sound is nostalgic, comforting, and completely Canadian.
I had no idea I was so fascinated by loons. This was so interesting to watch and I can't thank you enough for taking the time to create it.
Never thought of that sound as "creepy" - but it has a very "woodsy" sound to it. I immediately think of big, wild and rainy forests (even how wrong that may be for the actual source of that sound).
I always think of eerie when I hear the loon call.
there are northern rainforests!
Rainy forests is totally appropriate. While not a tropical rainforest, the Northwoods of Minnesota where loons are commonly found get consistent precipitation throughout the year .... Well except this past year; northern MN joined the ranks with the West by getting ravaged by wildfires :'(. The boundary waters of Minnesota are one of the most beautiful and enchanted places I've ever visited
I agree with everyone here! Loons are super common in upper Wisconsin, which is almost all dense forests with tons of lakes and rivers.
You forgot one interesting fact: the loon is featured on the Canadian 1 dollar coin and it is why it is called a “loonie” for a dollar and a “toonie” for a 2 dollar coin in Canadian lexicon
Then what did loonie toons mean? 🤔
This is a beautiful piece of language, right here.
Threwnie? Quadroonie? (Probably not, that one feels racial to me.)
Facts….
@K Jay was canoeing at sunset once with the loons calling across the lake. A+ Canada experience lol
I have actually wondered about this before. I grew up in Vermont, often camping in Maine, and moved away to the south and then west when I was 9. The loon call always gives me a super strong sense of nostalgia since I only heard it in the wild as a child. I get imagery in my mind of canoeing on a misty lake in Maine as a child whenever I hear the call.
I live in Loon territory, and love to hear them when they come back in the Spring. I was introduced to them as a child, by a TV spot called "Hinterland Who's Who" that aired on Canadian TV, but never experienced them in real life until moving to Nova Scotia, where they're fairly ubiquitous. I always notice the silly loon calls in movies and TV.
Credit to Vox for letting some nerd rant about his passion
Providing a platform for critical issues. Really looking forward to next week about the overuse of bergamote in scented candles
They always let nerds rant about their 'Passion'
That's what vox is kinda
*Every vox video ever*
To me, the loon's wail sounds awfully like a wolf's howl, except the notes seem much flatter and more monotonic. I think Hollywood's obsession might've started with people trying to insert a wolf's howl, only to mistakenly use audio of a loon, then realising the accident, but found it fitting quite well and decided to keep it.
I was just about to say the same thing!
I was thinking they sounded the same too! I think the wolf howl is beautiful, which is probably also why I kinda like the loon call too. It feels calming to me, like I’m in nature. But I can totally understand why others might find it creepy or scary though
Yes, the answer is super simple and I don't understand how the video didn't make that connection at all. It simply sounds like wolf howl. Whenever I heard it in a movie I never thought of a bird.
I agree! I’ve always thought that sound was some type of wolf or coyote.
I always recognized this call. In every movie, since I am a child.
BUT ... I alway thought it's a wolf :D
I’ve always found that bird call to be one of the prettiest and most relaxing ones. Never got creepy vibes. Now owls hooting is creepy.
I really appreciate the effort to share conservation efforts in the description! Whenever we talk about incredible animals it's important to talk about how we can protect them. Thank you so much!
I always thought that the loon wail was meant to be a howling wolf...
Same 😅
You're not alone. I even used this loon call in a song thinking it's a howling wolf.
To me personally, I feel it evokes a sense of nature, and resembles howls of wolves, owls, or other nightly animals. Depending on where the editor got the soundclip, it could be labeled as simple as “nature #23”, and to the ear without knowing what a loon is, could resemble one of those night animals. As I hear it, it definitely resembles a wolf howl if pitched down.
As a video editor, you more or less have to find shortcuts, snip things from reality and morph it into your own reality to fit the overall pacing, theme, and overall feel of the product.
Yes! It just sounds like nature and calmness. Idk I like it
Exactly. It does sound a lot like a wolf's howl, and I think it's simply meant as an audial cue in movies to signal generically remote wilderness.
Agree
yeah, depending on how far in the background it is it could sound like a wolf howl, a owl call or even the call of some species of primates. I completely understand why no one bothers. specially when you realize that we probably learned to associate the sound with eerie nature already because of movies.
I think it makes us think of nature simply because we hear it every time we see nature in movies.
As someone who grew up as a loon myself I can say that Hollywood never paid us any copyright on this typical call of our species. Thank you Vox for addressing this issue that we feel very close to our heart. And shame to the wolf species for trying to appropriate of this sound that is our pride... you can probably feel from my heartbroken words how difficult it was for us to endure this injustice so far. Peace everyone.
🦅💙
The call is a mood, it is beautiful and musical, and lonely. It echoes in the imagination the call of other animals like foxes, coyotes, wolves, or other birds in the distance. It's the sound of distinct isolation, and because the loon uses it to ask 'if anyone is out there', it automatically evokes the sense of isolation because, we as living creatures instinctively, subconsciously understand that call. I love it. and I'm glad that it's used in everything. It's nature's meme.
I grew up in a house that backed onto a lake called “Loon Lake” in Nova Scotia. And it was called that for a reason. I guess I always took it for granted, but now that I live in the UK, I realised how much I miss that sound…
Make a lake in uk then take sum loons there
As someone who has grown up in NS as well, I find it interesting that people elsewhere think of the sound as melancholy or unsettling. Personally I find it quite relaxing as an outdoorsy person. I would imagine that I would miss that sound if I moved away from here like you said
Me too! Just I just walked sandy lake and the loon were a singing. It is a beautiful sound.
Did you see a lot of duck tolling retrievers in nova scotia?
I've always heard that sound and said to myself "Yep, that's a wolf howl", even if it's pretty obvious it's not if you think of it for a little longer
I assume that's a part of it
Me too
I have always thought it was a bad, artificially created wolf howl😅
I always thought it was a hawk or something like an eagle
My first trip to Alaska that’s what I said😂
@@Sienisota I've a always thought the same thing😂😂
I grew up traveling from NJ to Maine to camp every summer. The loon calls were something I look forward to every year. They give me chills of nostalgia every time I hear them
Loon calls remind me of my time in the Canadian wilderness. They remind me of the times I felt happy and relaxed as a kid.
They literally make this sound when their lonely and you're telling me that isn't the saddest thing ever 😭😭😭
It's not a lonely call, it's more like a "Whassup?!!?" yelled as you come inside the dorm.
@@nelsonth but isnt it asking where the other loons are?
Loons are not creepy sounding. At least not to me. It’s just so nostalgic and haunting to me. Loon calls are just so calming
idk, “haunting” kinda seems like cousins with “creepy” to me. even if the tone is not 1 to 1, you might use one to allude to the other.
I don't know that "calming" and "haunting" belong in the same concept. If that were true, haunted house stories would be relaxing.
I think it can sound more creepy when used in creepy settings or settings that are meant to have a mysterious dark undertone to them.
Its not creepy yet its haunting
@@midshipman8654 Although haunting and creepy can sometimes be synonymous, haunting has quite a few different definitions. One of them being (from my quick Google searching): "poignant and evocative; difficult to ignore or forget." I'm pretty sure that definition is the one that @Bennu meant when they said loons sound haunting, but not creepy.
I'm not entirely sure how to describe the feeling that loon calls give. For me, it brings back memories of summers spent on the lake from my childhood. There's a wistfulness to them, but also a strong sense of peace and contentment. It honestly sounds the furthest thing from "creepy" to me.
I went to Lake Willoughby in Vermont this summer, and it was the first time I heard one of these birds. Even in the cabins we were staying in, you could hear it in the distance, coming from the lake.
I remember looking up at the pitch black sky that had the most stars I’ve ever seen in my life, I even saw the Milky Way for the first time, I wish I was able to take a picture because it’ll be something I’ll never forget, as I stood there looking up at the sky, it made me feel so small. but then I heard the loon in the background, in the midst of the silence and the distant crackling of our campfire, it made me feel a little bit better, it made me truly appreciate the serene wilderness of that place. After spending my entire life in the suburbs of New York, I finally got to experience the comfort that nature provides you.
I want to go back to that place, I look forward to when we will, because then I’ll take even more time to appreciate everything there is to behold about nature, the mountains, the lake, the stars… it makes you feel small at first, but once you start to truly admire it all, you can’t help but feel like you belong.
as a child my grandmother had a clock that would play a loon call at every hour. I was terrified as a child, but it's now a pretty sound as an adult
Honestly, as a Canadian - it's the most natural and beautiful sound to me.
Tragically Hip’s Wheat Kings always hits me with that loon. And yes natural and beautiful…
It really is. This video gets it wrong.
I don’t really know why it’s always associated with scariness or creepiness. It’s one of the most beautiful sounds to here while sitting on the beach at night after a long and terrible day. Just hearing the waves crash and then the loon call. Just stunning
Calming yet weirdly exciting to see one. Like, nature blessed you to be in that spot at that time.
Right?
As a Newfoundlander, I can say that loons help me to relax...they're comforting. Like heavy rain can be. The tremelo is the most often heard sound they make around here
Minnesotan. Loons are our state bird, and people love them. The tremolo sound specifically is used in ads here a lot, both for tourism ads and lotto ads. In the second case, it’s accurate as a warning call.
Nova Scotian here, and yes... I find the calls very peaceful. The wail they talk most about here, is usually heard towards sunset. Probably the mating pairs trying to find each other.🥰 But you certainly called it, the tremelo is the one you hear most often.
I have never thought of the calls as 'haunting', just lovely, and peaceful. The perfect end to a day at the lake.😊
Newfoundlander here as well! West Coast, heard em this morning down in the bay.
@@elizabethpemberton8445 another minnesotan here. I live in the twin cities area and don't here them often, but have always found the calls calming.
There’s a spot near lewisporte called loon bay, and a bunch of them live there during the summer, highly recommend taking a visit up there. I have a relative who lives there so I don’t need to find an Airbnb or motel but definitely recommend
I've always loved their "tremolo" call. I now understand that I heard it mostly because we were seen to them as some kind of threat. All the loons I encountered I did on lake while fishing.
I also love to witness how long they manage to stay underwater fishing.
Overlooked is the acoustics of location of a loon when it calls … on a lake, often with a densely treed shoreline. The natural reverb adds to the emotional impact of a loon call.
It’s interesting bc as a Minnesotan this call/noise is something I’ve never found creepy or melancholy, it’s just an animal noise I’ve heard a ton of times where we hear it and say “hey there’s a loon around here!” Different perspectives!
As a Canadian I completely agree.
Same as a Mainer
Same! I'd always hear loons when camping around Minnesota, it's kind of nostalgic actually :)
As an Arizonan, all we have are lousy road runners
As a musician who has sat through so many painfully inaccurate music scenes in movies, I'm with you, birders.
Do you mean the wrong style of music score being used in the wrong culture/period?
@@ultracapitalistutopia3550 ..indeed! Enquiring minds need to know!
@@ultracapitalistutopia3550 well you know in Shrek 2 when Fairy Godmother sings Holding Out For A Hero and she starts it off talking to the piano player? well she says to put the song in C Minor, and then the song isnt actually in C Minor. thats just one off the top of my head though.
Just go outside, get some vitamin D
Yes, I'm not at all a musician but just could not stop laughing at the New Age style music played by Holly Hunter's character in The Piano, set in maybe 1830.
Ive lived in the great lakes region my entire life. Loons are one of my favorite birds. When I was a kid my grandmother had a 2.5 acre pond. And loons would molt there.
After molting they can't fly for a few days to maybe a week or so. So we would occasionally get loons walking around in the yard. They were pretty chill. I remember walking up to them picking them up and checking them out while being careful to not get pecked. Appreciating the moment and taking them back to the pond and setting the little guy back in the water.
Neat birds.
I've frequently heard their wail on the lake at my brother's camp. It always seems to Echo across the lake. It sounds so lonely to me. I probably heard the other calls they make but didn't know it was from the Loon. The sound is so primal that my expectations are that we're somehow gone back in time with Dinosaurs roaming the area.
The Thanos scene LOL - won't be able to unhear that now
I never knew loons lived on Thanos’ home planet
Yeah, really disappointed they chose not to use any of planet Titan’s real native bird calls….
@@kinghal123 it’s not thanos home planet
I'm pretty sure this TH-cam video will have ruined a lot of future movies for me. :( I wish I could unwatch it.
@@kinghal123 hmmm i guess he probably loved having loons on his home planet
Hearing a "scary" loon call in a movie as a native Minnesotan just makes me think I'm back at my cabin roasting marshmallows with my whole family.
And for the rest of the world, a cabin at a lake or in the woods is also creepy.
Oh my, the TERROR!
Did a Sasquatch pop out?
@@Renee_R343 Cabins and lakes being deemed creepy is also another result of Hollywood :D
I've also heard it in many games as a background atmospheric sound. I had wondered why I kept hearing it in so many places yet never saw it, thanks for the explanation.
Once you hear it, you can’t unhear it, just like Wilhelm's scream.
It is a beautiful sound, sends chills down one's spine. I think it is also used in calming nature-y meditation music tracks.
I'll keep my ears open from now on :)
I was just thinking the same - despite never having particularly noticed it before I’m surely going to catch it every time now, just like the Wilhelm scream 😅
Loon's "tremolo" call is also often used in movies. Mostly as part of "scary wildlife sounds" while the characters are struggling to go to sleep at night in a tent.
It's also used as a sample in many Drumb n Bass/Jungle hits from the 90's ! Probably for the same reasons haha litteraly resonates natures
and in age of empires 1
They used it in the video game Tonic Trouble too (albeit sped-up and doubled-up and pitch-shifted)
I think Mynoks (flying bats who attack the millenium falcon while hiding in the asteroid field) in The Empire Strikes Back have some sort of edited loon tremolo
it reminded me instantly of red dead redemption 2 hahahahah
As a kid my grandfather used to take me up to the lake during loon mating season. It was magnificent. He even carved me a loon out of wood that I keep on my bed frame. It’s been about a year since his passing and I miss him dearly, thanks for this video.
I pray for your healing and I hope the sound is always a positive reminder to you.
I live in upstate New York, about an hour west of the Adirondacks. The loon call is such a comfort to me, it’s baffling when people say it’s scary. I love it. Early in the morning before people wake up, you can hear a pair of loons calling on the lake. You may be able to see them too, through the dense fog over the water. So beautiful.
I’ve lived in Minnesota my whole life….hearing the wail of an uncommon loon on a summer evening while the lake is as smooth as glass is the most calming thing ever. My favorite sound while fishing
Loons and red-tailed hawks, man....the classic "bird" sound bites!
My personal favorite is when a show/movie uses a red-tailed hawk call, shows the image of a vulture (usually a turkey vulture) flying, and then refers to the bird as an eagle.
And then of course the hyenas in the Lion King that whimper like dogs
I was just about to mention the Red-tailed hawk in the comments if someone else didn’t - I just want to see a scene of a Bald eagle with an accurate sound clip of their little chirp 😂
Don't forget the kookaburra whenever there's a jungle scene!
^ This!
My favourite is when movies use a lion or tiger sound for wolves and bears, and vice-versa, as if anyone with a brain can't tell the difference.
maybe thanos' snap was to halve the population, AND make loons native to his farm
omg! I’m your biggest fan
Or maybe is an extraterrestrial species that sounds like loons.
I was just about to say the same thing =)
Or it's like convergent evolution, it's a totally unrelated bird species on his planet that happens to make that exact call.
That's some classic comic book writing right there!
I love loon calls. I grew up in Alaska, so I grew up hearing loon calls whenever I was near a lake. They're haunting and beautiful and so evocative.
After spending many weeks during summers while i was growing up, up north in Ontario, ive heard countless loon calls, to the point where i truly enjoy the call. It just brings me back to camping on a lake, late a night by the campfire
Having never heard a Loom, I just assumed it was a coyote or an owl. I've often wondered why one of our native Aussie birds, the Bush-Stone Curlew, doesn't pop up as ambient noise in spooky shows or night forest scenes. They have a piercing, screaming shriek call that would work great.
Yes, I thought it was a wolf howling😅
I looked them up and although just one or two of them together does sound kind of creepy, a group of them just sounds like a flock of seagulls lol
@@shannepieters1789 During the day they're alright and together they're just noisy birds, but they're a bit like our magpies in that their song is warped a bit by recording. I've actually gone looking before for a good example online and never found one.
You're just gonna have to trust me when I tell you that the first few times you hear one doing the shrill screaming call in the dead of night, it's eerie, sometimes sounds like a woman screaming, and it freaks you right out.
There is already a bird they use for jungle calls in areas where it should not exist. The bird is called a Limpkin and is a unique evolutionary offshoot of cranes and rails. They usually don't venture far from coastal regions where Apple Snails are abundant. (Except this year where they have shown up in Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Indiana, Iowa, and Nebraska).
*loon 😂
Another peculiar thing about loons is that their center of gravity is optimized for swimming to the extent that they can't stand/walk on land.
I'm Canadian and this sound is so relaxing and wonderful - a lake in the summer - mist floating above - a canoe - pure heaven.
I hear these calls often outdoors while not in the middle of the city. Beautiful sounds.
As a Minnesotan (it's our state bird) many I know get quite offended when we're aware that the sound is being played somewhere outside of its range, but also it's really not a creepy sound. Definitely one of the most beautiful bird calls I've ever heard.
As a fellow Minnesotan, I agree. When we go to the cabin and sit outside by the lake, hearing loons is super relaxing.
@@amazinglaughs hehe Wisconsinite here. Just coming to acknowledge the fact that you own a cabin (presumably "up nort") because it seems like a law that if you live in wisco or Minnesota that you have to have a cabin somewhere lol
@@nahmastay3300 You either have a cabin or have a good neighbor who has one.
My response to that: Grow up boy, movies are just movies. Rarely is the intent to be historically or factually accurate. The purpose is to entertain you.
NahMasTay Oh you know it or there’s a cabin in the family that everyone shares haha
I’m no bird expert and I would have agreed the loon wail call is creepy , but after watching video I came to realization that I’ve become desensitized to it. I never realized how often it was used.
It's really beautiful in person! It always makes me think of up north and lake days :)
Loon calls are probably the coolest feature of Canadian outdoor life. When you’re sitting around a campfire as the sun’s setting and the loons start calling, it’s just *chef’s kiss*
We’re not even close to having loons where I live, but I I wouldn’t consider a loon wailing creepy. I find it incredibly calming, same with owls hooting in the night.
Reverberations (echoes) are a big part of why the Loon's call feels the way it does, but this wasn't mentioned in the video.
Because they live on lakes, usually in remote areas (far from human-made noise), their unique pitch and tone are amplified by their environment (sound travels farther and more clearly across water). We perceive echoes as an indication of vast expanses of space. This makes us as humans acutely aware of our own small size in a large environment, which can in turn make us feel vulnerable, alone, and a little afraid.
I've spent a lot of time (probably too much time) thinking about this while sitting on the dock at dawn, listening to these fascinating birds, here in Quebec.
Ok this was pretty deep and profound.
It’s not creepy, it’s beautiful. I grew up hearing it while camping and it’s one of my favourite sounds
I agree and I live in Minnesota and the loon is the state bird there and I actually love hearing it and really the only bird I can identify by it's sound lol
Same. A group of us go camping together and as soon as the loons star calling, a hush falls around the campfire as we softly breath and soak up the serenity.
I agree ! My favorite sound also
I love the tremelo call in nature scenes. As a music lover, it’s music to the ears.
Love the sound of loons. It is the iconic sound of the northern wilderness, much like wolf howling. Both can send a chill up your spine (in a good way, not creepy at all) when you are out in the wilds.
After I listened to the sound a few times it really hit me how familiar it sounded to a wolf's call. And that sound is considered eerie, but I think its easier to get away with a bird call in movies, than a wolf's call.
As someone who never lived in North America, all my life I thought it was a young wolf or something, and I just don't question it because I don't know if wolves are that many in number that one can just hear their howls every night
@@Por-poI what does north america have to do with anything lol wolves are in europe and asia too
@@1x0x yes, but loons are just from north america...
Common Loon : why is my call so abused in movies?
Laughing Kookaburra : Tell me about it..
I heard this comment
Yeah, that drives me nuts.
Red Tailed Hawk: Yeah me too.
Stucka/ Ju-87: Tell me about that, all crashing planes sound like my dinving sirenes.
I have never thought about it as I grew up hearing it, so it is a natural/calming sound for me.
in the 1980 & early 90's I lived in Loon Lake, Saskatchewan for a few summers. I still remember how creepy the calls were during my first visit, especially at night. I loved hearing them after that as it was a reminder of family & being home.
Every Canadian: "This sound brings me joy....It is the call of the wild"
Loon calls are absolutely beautiful. It also causes us to start rubbing our on Maple trees until it becomes sourdough!
It most definitely does! Loon calls are beautiful!
As someone who has parents that live in rural Ontario, this is a common occurrence when visiting. There is something rather haunting hearing it in real life, especially on very calm days with no breeze and there is literally NO other sound, also as someone coming from the city used to the constant drone of busy life.
Or late at night, when the sun is already below the horizon but there's still some light in the sky. Then a loon calls, and you know it's time to go to bed. Try not to have any nightmares, buddy.
As an Ontarian I object to this presentation - the loon call is the sound of a summer evening at the cottage, with all the joy and relaxation that entails
I never knew that people thought loon calls were creepy. I always found them calming
It's not just movies and TV. I heard the loon in the desert in a video game.
I like their call. I find it comforting.
I love the sound.
I also love the sound of red deer (and probably more) calling in the distance with some echoing. Or the distant sound of a woodpecker working on a tree. All very atmospheric. I love the outdoors.
The first time I heard a Loon was late at night, trying to go to sleep in a tent on an island in a small lake in Ontario, Canada in 1965 when I was 15. Was unaware of what it was and nearly peed my sleeping bag as the thought of some otherworldly creature was coming to get us! That didn't deter my family from coming back the following year and for 55 years after that. The sight and sound of the Loons was and always is the first thing we look for when arriving. A sort of 'welcome' call.
That's really awesome
5:27 well that answers why we always hear that sound in movies. it's just a bird that got REALLY lost
I spent many a summer around Ontario's lakesp and loved listening and watching the loons. It's amazing how low they float in the water.