Read later

Beta

During Beta testing articles may only be saved for seven days.

Know your nature sounds?

Think you know your birds from your bees? See how good you are at recognising the nature on your doorstep by testing yourself in our animal sounds quiz.

What's that sound?

Test your knowledge of nature sounds and keep track of your score as you go.

1. What's making this charismatic croak?

  • I think it's a toad

    Close, but a toad doesn't make this sound. 

    Toads can travel as far as two kilometres to reach their breeding sites.

    A toad sits on some moss

    © Svitlana Tkach/ Shutterstock

  • It sounds more like a frog

    Correct! It's the croak of a common frog.

    You can tell the difference between a frog and a toad by looking at their skin. Frogs have a dark patch behind the eye and smooth, moist skin, while the toads have bumpy skin.

    A commons frog half in the water, clinging to a green reed

    © RYosha/ Shutterstock

2. How about this haunting scream?

  • Could it be a red fox?

    Correct! A red fox makes this harrowing sound.

    The high-pitched wails you hear are made by female foxes in their breeding season, which begins in January.

    A red fox looks into the camera as it stands in the grass on a sunny day

    © Sandra Standbridge/ Shutterstock

  • Sounds like an owl to me

    Good try, but an owl doesn't make this sound. 

    The short-eared owl doesn't usually make a lot of noise, but can bark or scream when defending their nest. 

    An owl flied through grass in the red light of sunset

    © RobDemPhoto/ Shutterstock

3. What bird sings like this?

  • A magpie

    Correct! It's a magpie.

    A magpie makes a noisy chatter. 

    A magpie sits on a branch witha  blurry background

    © Butterfly Hunter/ Shutterstock

Red poppys and blue cornflowers grow under a tree with a city in the background

What's buzzing around these flowers? Wildflowers provide pollen for insects in cities and towns © Theo Blossom

4. What buzzes like this?

  • A bee

    Correct! It's the sound of a bee buzzing from flower to flower.

    A bee sits on a purple flower

    © HeatherJane/ Shutterstock

5. Finally, do you recognise this chirping sound?

  • Surely it's a cricket

    Correct! It's a cricket. 

    Crickets make sound by rubbing their legs and wings together. 

    A cricket sits on a leaf in the sun

    © Sandra Standbridge/ Shutterstock

Your score

1 You croaked. 

2 You need more legs. 

3 Nice work, you've winged it. 

4-5 You're the bee's knees!