We all remember the viral 2013 hit by Ylvis that asked the question. It was catchy. It was absurd. It also had absolutely nothing to do with the reality of vulpine vocalizations. If you’ve ever been lying in bed at 2:00 AM and heard what sounds like a Victorian ghost being murdered in your backyard, you’ve met the real deal. Forget the "ring-ding-ding" nonsense.
Foxes are loud. Like, surprisingly loud for an animal that weighs about as much as a house cat.
The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) actually has a repertoire of over 20 different calls, and almost none of them sound "cute" in the traditional sense. Most people expect a bark or maybe a howl, but what they get is a visceral, bone-chilling shriek that can travel for miles. This isn't just nature being weird for the sake of it. These sounds are highly evolved tools for communication in a world where you're often hunting alone in the dark.
The Infamous Vixen's Scream
If you search for what the fox actually says on YouTube, the first thing you'll likely encounter is the "vixen scream." It’s a bit of a misnomer because both males and females can do it, though it’s most common during the breeding season in the dead of winter.
It sounds like a person in extreme distress. Honestly, it’s enough to make you call the police if you aren't prepared for it.
Biologists, including researchers like Stephen Harris at the University of Bristol, have spent decades decoding these sounds. The scream is primarily a contact call. Imagine trying to find a date in a massive, dark forest without a cell phone. You’re going to yell. The scream is loud, harsh, and distinct enough to cut through the ambient noise of a windy night or rustling leaves. It lets other foxes know, "I’m here, and I’m looking."
Why it sounds so human
The frequency of a fox scream often hits that "uncanny valley" of audio. It sits right in the range of human vocalizations, which triggers a primal fear response in our brains. Evolutionarily, we are hardwired to react to high-pitched, discordant screams. When a fox lets one rip at 3:00 AM, your amygdala doesn't care that it's just a 15-pound canine; it thinks there's a predator—or a victim—nearby.
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The "Gekkering" and Social Chatter
When foxes are closer together, the volume drops, but the weirdness remains. They make a sound called "gekkering."
It’s a rhythmic, chattering noise. Sort of like a "gek-gek-gek-gek" that stutters along. You’ll usually hear this during disputes. If two foxes are fighting over a piece of carrion or a specific territory, they stand on their hind legs and gekker at each other. It sounds a bit like a very angry, very fast-talking bird.
It’s a defensive sound. It’s meant to de-escalate without actual physical violence. In the animal kingdom, getting a tooth-shaped hole in your leg is a death sentence if it gets infected, so foxes use noise to settle scores whenever possible.
- The Bark: This is a short, sharp "yap." It’s often used as an alarm.
- The Whimper: Cubs do this to get attention, but adults use it during social grooming.
- The Purr: Yes, foxes can produce a vibration similar to a cat's purr when they are being submissive or affectionate with a mate.
Domesticated Foxes and the "Laugh"
We can't talk about what the fox actually says without mentioning the famous Russian Domesticated Fox experiment started by Dmitry Belyaev in 1959. Over generations of breeding for tameness, these foxes didn't just change their fur color—they changed their voices.
Tame foxes, like those seen on popular social media channels (think Juniper the Fox or the residents of SaveAFox rescue), make a sound that humans often describe as "laughing."
It’s a series of high-pitched, breathless chirps. It sounds genuinely joyful. In the wild, you rarely hear this because wild foxes have a "don't see me" policy. But in a domestic setting, where the fox perceives a human as a social partner, they use these vocalizations to solicit play and attention.
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Is it a real laugh? Not in the way we tell a joke. But it is a vocalization of positive arousal. It’s the sound of a fox that feels safe enough to be loud and vulnerable.
Common Misconceptions About Vulpine Noise
People think foxes are quiet. They aren't. They’re just nocturnal.
Another big myth is that foxes "howl" like wolves. They don't. While they are part of the Canidae family, their larynx is shaped differently. They don't have that long, mournful sustained note. Instead, they have the "triple bark," which is a series of three short barks ending in a slight upward inflection. It’s often mistaken for an owl or a distant dog.
The Impact of Urbanization
As foxes move into cities—especially in places like London or Toronto—we’re hearing them more. Concrete and brick reflect sound better than moss and trees. An urban fox screaming in an alleyway sounds ten times more intense than a rural fox screaming in a field. This has led to a surge in "what is that noise?" posts on neighborhood forums across the globe.
How to Tell if It's a Fox or Something Else
If you’re trying to identify a sound in your backyard, look for these specific traits:
- Duration: Fox screams are usually one to two seconds long.
- Frequency: It will repeat every 5 to 10 seconds as the animal moves.
- Pitch: It’s almost always higher than a dog's bark but raspy, like the animal has a sore throat.
Coyotes, by comparison, do a lot more yipping and "singing" in groups. A lone fox is usually just that—lone. If the sound is coming from one consistent spot and sounds like a series of short yaps, it might be a fox guarding a den.
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Final Practical Insights
If you live in an area with foxes, the best thing you can do is get used to the noise. It’s peak activity during January and February. That’s mating season.
Don't panic. The scream isn't a sign of an animal in pain, and it’s not a ghost. It’s just a very small predator trying to find a companion in a very big world. To help coexist, keep your trash bins secured so they don't hang around your windows, and enjoy the fact that you have a front-row seat to one of the most unique "soundtracks" in nature.
If the noise is truly bothersome, motion-activated lights are usually enough to encourage a fox to move their "conversation" to a quieter spot. They hate being in the spotlight.
Understand that these vocalizations are part of a complex social structure. When you hear that scream, you're listening to a wild animal navigating its territory, protecting its family, and ensuring the next generation of kits survives. It’s a lot more interesting than a catchy pop song once you know the stakes.
To truly understand fox behavior, start tracking the timing of the calls you hear. If the screaming stops in late February, you know the mating season has ended and the quieter, more secretive denning period has begun. This change in "what the fox says" is the clearest indicator of the changing seasons in the urban wild.