ORDER GALLIFORMES
FAMILY PHASIANIDAE
Blue Grouse (Dendrogapus obscurus)
a. A deep series of hoots: whoop,whoop,whoop, etc., increasing in volume and tempo toward the end of the series (U).
Series of 5-7 low, muffled, booming or hooting notes about one octave lower than Great Horned Owl; ventriloquial (P).
Hooting of Rocky Mountain birds audible at about 50 yards, but calls of other races audible a greater distances, up to several hundred yards (F).
Sound of hoots has a quality which suggests the sound of a large rock tossed into a pool of water. Territorial, given by male.
b. Females: clucking and cackling (F).
Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus)
a. Drumming is a hollow-toned, how-pitched accelerating series of beats made with the wings (U).
Suggests a distant motor starting up, the muffled thumping starts slowly, accelerating into a whir:
bup...bup...bup...bup...bup...bup.bup.up.r-rrr (P).
Accelerating hollow roll (R).
Territorial.
Male "drums" with wings frequently at night and in morning, especially during spring, but may be heard at any time in any season; usually repeated at 4-minute intervals (F).
b. A series of sharp notes when alarmed on the ground (U).
c. Soft murmur of female with chicks, used only in close communication.
d. Assorted, seldom-heard clucks, hisses, and other vocal sounds (F).
e. A loud chuck similar to call of red squirrel (F).
California Quail (Callipepla californica)
a. A 3-syllabled call qua-quer-go, middle syllable accented, variously interpreted as where are you?, you go way, Chi-ca-go, etc. (P).
Ca-cah-co, accent varies but typically on 2nd syllable (F).
Carries up to 300 m or more.
b. Light clucking notes (P). Almost like a slow ratchet sound.
Calls include various grunts, cackles, and chuckles (N).
c. Male on territory, a loud kerr or twerk (P).
Unpaired males give a single cah in spring (F).
A sharp turk in alarm (L).
d. Also a series of sharp pit notes (U).
Whit-whit and tek-tek calls (F).
A soft pit-pit-pit in flocking (L).
Mountain Quail (Oreortyx pictus)
a. A hollow, mellow pock,pock,pock, often given repeatedly by male in breeding season; a contact or assembly call.
Carries up to 300 m or more.
b. In spring, a loud, resonant kyork (F).
A loud mellow cry, wook? or to-wook? repeated at infrequent intervals by male in breeding season (P).
A soft whook like Northern Pygmy-Owl's (R).
Mating call, a clear, descending quee-ark, can be heard up to a mile away (N).
A loud mellow look or too-look (L).
A repetitive Northern Pygmy-Owl-like hoot; if close actually two notes: too-oo,too-oo; not as monotonously delivered as Pygmy's, given at 4-9 sec. intervals; birds move position during call, Pygmys do not (R. Gutierrez, pers. comm. 1984).
c. Rapid tremulous whistling sounds when alarmed (both sexes) (P).
A tremulous tr-r-r-r (L).
Especially give by broods or coveys; accompanies by sundry peeps.
d. A chirring call, kkddd-ke-ke-ke; alarm call given by adults with chicks (R. Gutierrez, pers. comm. 1984).
Call carries 30-50 m.
e. Call "d" above may escalate to a screech (R. Gutierrez, pers. comm. 1984).
Call carries 10-20 m.
ORDER COLUMBIFORMES
FAMILY COLUMBIDAE
Band-Tailed Pigeon (Columba fasciata)
a. A deep owl-like whoo-hoo (U).
Coo-coo (R).
Oo-whoo or whoo-oo-whoo, repeated (P).Low-pitched, 2-toned cooing whoo-whoooo, given several times in succession (F).
b. A chirring or chirping call also given (F).
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
a. Melancholy cooing, the last 3 notes higher than the first: coo-ooh,coo,coo-coo (U).
Ooah-ooo-oo-oo, 4-6 per minute (R).
Hollow, mournful ooah,cooo,cooo,coo; at a distance, only the 3 coo's are audible (P).
Who-ah,whoo-whoo-who, with sharply rising, inflected second syllable; all other notes on same pitch, last 3 dropping slightly at end of each (F).
Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) [formerly S. risoria]
a. Melancholy cooing, the last 3 notes higher than the first: coo-ooh,coo,coo-coo (U):
Example 1. Example 2.b. Alarm call is a hoarse rairre.
c. When takes to flight, produces a wing whistle.