Whatbird.com

My friend is convinced there is a bear in the woods outside his house. He hears it growl late at night and it scares the beejeezus out of him. I have assured him that it's not a bear, but he doesn't believe me. I think the sound he hears is a bird. Perhaps an owl, nightjar or egret (shorebird). Can anyone help identify this mysterious bear-bird? What bird might make a sound like a growling bear?

You can do a search of possible birds in the area here. http://identify.whatbird.com/mwg/_/0/attrs.aspx  Choose location for starters, and then go in and listen to the calls.  Most all the birds in our database have a recorded call on the species overview tab.

You can rule out bear by calling your parks department and ask what bears might be in the area and have there been any reported sightings.

Good Luck

---

Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal

Owls can have some very fiece vocalizations including growls, screeches, screams and grunts.  I would take the suggestion of the previous post and check out different owl vocalizations.  Also,  there have been times I have been scared to death about noises I heard in the woods only for it to be a family of racoons!!!!!