You’re standing in the African savanna at dusk. The sun is a massive, bleeding orange orb on the horizon, and suddenly, a low, vibrating thrum rattles your chest. It sounds like a lion. Or maybe a distant foghorn from a ship that somehow ended up in the middle of the Serengeti. Most people would start looking for a place to hide. But if you look around, you might just see a seven-foot-tall bird with long eyelashes and a very inflated neck.
What noise does an ostrich make? It’s a question that trips up almost everyone who hasn't spent significant time around ratites. We expect birds to chirp. We expect them to whistle or maybe squawk like a disgruntled parrot. Ostriches don't do any of that. They are the heavy metal vocalists of the avian world—low, guttural, and occasionally terrifying.
Honestly, the "boom" is the star of the show.
The Famous Ostrich Boom and Why It Mimics a Predator
If you’ve ever heard a male ostrich during mating season, you’ve heard the "boom." This isn't a vocal cord trick. Ostriches, like all birds, lack a larynx. Instead, they have a syrinx, but even that isn't doing the heavy lifting here. When a male ostrich wants to impress a female or warn off a rival, he inflates his neck to nearly three times its normal diameter.
He fills his esophagus with air. Then, he releases it in three to four distinct, low-frequency pulses.
It sounds like a hollow hoo-hoo-hoo-hooo.
Dr. Brian Mitchell and other ornithologists have noted that this sound is so low-frequency that it can travel for miles across open plains. It’s a tactical advantage. In the bush, higher-pitched sounds get deflected by heat waves and scrub brush. Low frequencies hug the ground. They penetrate. Because the sound is so deep, many tourists—and even some seasoned guides—initially mistake it for the roar of a distant lion.
Imagine being a smaller predator. You hear that bass-heavy vibration. You don't think "bird." You think "danger." It’s an evolutionary masterclass in acoustic camouflage.
Not Just for the Ladies
While the boom is primarily a "pick me" signal to the hens, it serves a dual purpose as a territorial marker. Ostriches are surprisingly prickly about their personal space. If another male wanders into a territory, the boom becomes more aggressive. It’s a vocal "no trespassing" sign. Interestingly, the females don't boom. They have their own repertoire, but it’s much more subtle, focusing on the immediate social group rather than the whole neighborhood.
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Hissing, Bill Snapping, and the Sound of Fear
Let’s talk about the sounds they make when they’re annoyed. Because ostriches are basically feathered dinosaurs with an attitude, they get annoyed quite a bit.
When you get too close to an ostrich—which, by the way, you really shouldn't do—you won't hear a boom. You'll hear a hiss. It’s a sharp, sibilant sound, very similar to a snake or a very large, very angry goose. It’s an immediate warning. The hiss is often accompanied by a dramatic display of feathers, where the bird fans out its wings to look even larger.
But there’s a weirder sound: the bill snap.
Ostriches can clatter their beaks together with incredible speed. It’s a mechanical sound, like two pieces of hard wood being struck together. They do this during courtship but also as a form of communication within the flock. If you’re ever near a group of ostriches and you hear a rhythmic clack-clack-clack, they are likely chatting or signaling a change in direction.
It’s almost like Morse code for giants.
You’ve also got the grunt. Chicks and juveniles are the most vocal in this regard. If a chick gets separated from its parents, it emits a high-pitched, whistling chirp that sounds nothing like the adult bird. As they grow, this matures into a guttural grunt. It’s used to keep the family unit together while they forage. If one bird finds a particularly juicy patch of succulents, a quick grunt tells the others to come over.
The Physics of the Ostrich Throat
To understand what noise an ostrich makes, you have to look at their anatomy. It's weird.
Most birds have a tiny syrinx that vibrates to produce those beautiful melodies we hear in our backyards. The ostrich has a very rudimentary syrinx. They rely more on the sheer volume of their lung capacity and the hollow structure of their neck.
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Think of it like an organ pipe.
A flute (the songbird) produces high notes because the air column is short and thin. The ostrich is a tuba. The air travels up that incredibly long neck, resonating and deepening along the way. By the time it exits the beak (or the throat, as they often boom with their mouths closed), it has lost all its "bird-like" qualities and become something much more primal.
There’s also the "drumming."
This isn't a vocalization, but it's a sound they make that is often confused with one. During courtship, the male will drop to his knees—well, his tarsal joints—and rock from side to side. As he does this, his wings beat against his ribs. The sound is a heavy, rhythmic thudding. Combined with the booming, it creates a sensory experience that is both visual and auditory. It’s a full-body performance.
Debunking the Silence Myth
There is a weirdly persistent myth that ostriches are silent. I’ve read travel blogs that claim you’ll never hear a peep out of them.
That’s just wrong.
The reason people think they are silent is that they aren't "chatty." They don't make noise just for the sake of making noise. They are incredibly efficient animals. Every sound serves a survival purpose. If there’s no predator to warn off and no mate to attract, they are perfectly happy to browse in silence.
Also, their most famous sound—the boom—usually happens at dawn or dusk. If you’re visiting a zoo or a farm in the middle of a hot Tuesday afternoon, you’re probably just going to see them staring blankly at you or pecking at the ground. You’re missing the concert.
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Does Age Matter?
Absolutely. Age changes everything.
- Chicks: High-pitched whistles, clear chirps. They need to be heard over the wind.
- Juveniles: Grunts and hisses. They are learning the social hierarchy.
- Adult Males: The full repertoire—booming, hissing, bill snapping, and drumming.
- Adult Females: Hissing and soft grunts. They are the quiet professionals of the savanna.
The development of the "boom" in males is tied directly to testosterone levels. As they reach sexual maturity at around three or four years old, their neck muscles thicken and their ability to inflate the esophagus increases. It’s literally a "growing pains" situation for their vocal capabilities.
Why the Context of the Noise Matters
If you’re trying to identify what noise an ostrich makes in the wild, you have to look at the behavior.
- The Mating Boom: Head held high, neck inflated, body stationary. It’s a "look at me" sound.
- The Aggressive Hiss: Neck lowered, head snaking forward, wings spread. This is a "back off" sound.
- The Bill Snap: Often done while moving or interacting closely with another bird. This is social coordination.
- The Distress Chirp: Only heard from the young. It’s a "help me" sound.
The nuance is what makes them fascinating. They aren't just making noise; they are broadcasting specific data points to the environment. Scientists at the University of South Africa have studied these vocalizations to understand flock dynamics. They found that ostriches can actually recognize the specific "voice" of individuals within their group. One male's boom is slightly different from his neighbor's.
Practical Insights for Your Next Encounter
If you find yourself near an ostrich—whether it’s on a safari in Namibia or at a petting zoo in Texas—knowing these sounds can keep you safe and enhance the experience.
First, listen for the hiss. If you hear that snake-like sound, stop moving. The ostrich is telling you that you’ve crossed a line. These birds can kick with enough force to kill a lion; you don't want to be on the receiving end of that because you ignored a verbal warning.
Second, if you’re out at sunrise and hear that "lion" roar, don't panic. Check the skyline for a long neck. It’s a wonderful, eerie experience to hear a bird produce a sound that feels like it belongs to a much larger mammal.
Lastly, pay attention to the silence. An ostrich that is suddenly silent and alert is often more telling than one that is making noise. They are highly sensitive to vibrations in the ground. If the "talking" stops, something is likely moving in the tall grass nearby.
Actionable Steps for Wildlife Enthusiasts
- Record the Sound: If you’re on safari, use a high-quality voice memo app at dawn. The low frequency of an ostrich boom often gets lost in cheap video microphones, but a dedicated audio recording can capture those bass notes.
- Observe the Neck: When you see an ostrich, look at the throat. If it’s pulsing or looks swollen, you’re about to hear a boom. It’s one of the few times you can "see" a sound before you hear it.
- Keep Your Distance: Never approach a booming male. He is in his most territorial state. Use binoculars to enjoy the show from at least 50 yards away.
- Watch for the "Kanteling" Dance: This is the wing-beating, drumming display. It usually follows a series of booms and is the peak of ostrich communication.
Understanding the vocalizations of the world's largest bird changes how you view them. They aren't just giant, goofy-looking runners. They are complex communicators with a specialized set of sounds that have helped them survive for millions of years in some of the harshest environments on Earth. Next time someone asks you what noise an ostrich makes, you can tell them: it's not a chirp, it's a roar.