Lancashire Badger Group

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Sounds

Here is a list of Sounds documents which you can listen to on your computer.

When a badger is moving through an area at a normal pace, it will tend to take a dozen noisy steps or so, and stop to sniff the air, have a quick look around and then restart moving again. The sound of a badger approaching is likely to be a series of footsteps, then snuffles and sniffs, and then more footsteps. This is especially noticeable when a badger is walking through dry leaves or dead bracken, or on a carpet of beech nuts or acorns.

When eating, badgers are noisy and sloppy, and in the dark you can often hear a badger eating before you can see it. They even sound sloppy when eating dry food such as peanuts!

In terms of vocal calls, badger cubs have a high-pitched whickering - in other words - like a squeaky sort of chattering. Adults can also growl or bark as a warning or purr with pleasure, as well as making other noises such as squeaks, sniffs, snorts and coughs.

But vocal calls are indistinct as one badger may use a series of different sounds one after another. For example, when cubs are engaged in play-fighting (or where there is great excitement in the clan) there may be a whole range of noises which merge together in quick succession. As badgers communicate by posture and smell, listening to the calls by themselves may not give you a complete picture of what badgers are saying to one another.

The WildCRU (part of Oxford University) have done more than any-one to research the vocal calls made by the badger. They have published recordings of all the known calls, so you can hear what they sound like (see the Useful Links section). A summary of their work is shown in the following table:

Sound	Description
Churr	This is a mating call. It is an 'insistent, deep, throaty, vibrant purr with an oily, bubbling quality'. It has structural similarity to the female purr.
Purr	This is softer and less intense than the Churr. Both are specific to the mother and directed solely towards her offspring. The purr may be used when grooming or carrying the cubs, to call cubs from the sett, or to encourage the cubs to follow and stay close.
Wail	This is the call of an infant in distress, usually when the cub is isolated from the mother. As infant distress increases, so does the intensity and rate of wailing.
Chitter	This is a short, high-pitched, querulous chatter. Adults use it in pain/fear or frustration/anxiousness. The chitter is often used by the female, either when she is being harassed by a male intending to mate, or to signal pain or fear during mating. In cubs it is heard mainly during excited social play. A gentle variant of the Chittering is the Whickering, and is often used in situations of mild frustration.
Kecker	This is a relatively long, single sound, similar in structure to the Chitter. This is used primarily in threat/submission, attack and fighting. As fighting becomes more serious, keckering may increase.
Growl	Growls are low-pitched, rumbling sounds which are sustained and coarse and are the longest badger call. This is a warning by adults with food or young, or when an unfamiliar individual enters the territory.
Snarl	Snarls are moderate pitched, single, sounds - usually over a second in duration. This call is used in the threat/attack context and, unlike the growl, almost always precedes attack.
Yelp	Adult yelps are given mostly in series, and are often heard in sequence with chitters. It is used to signal actual pain or fear in anticipation of pain. It is commonly used by females before or during mating.
Squeak	This is a very short, shrill, high-pitched call, similar to the yelp. The cub squeak is found in the context of frustration and anxiousness, when the cub is separated from its mother, or in play.
Bark	This resembles the bark of a small dog. It is usually heard during play, or in the startle/surprise and warning/defence contexts. Barking in adults functions primarily to warn off an approaching badger or an unwanted mating partner.
Snort	Snorts most commonly used when one badger is surprised by another. The surprised badger may jump back. The snort may be used to startle a potential predator.
Cluck	This resembles the soft quacks of ducks and is heard during greeting, grooming, and play, and is associated with close contact of the cubs.
Coo	This is a soft, dove-like noise used as a close range contact call of the cubs.
Chirp	Chirps have only been heard from cubs. They are moderate-pitched, soft, bird-like sounds. They are single, short sounds, usually heard in series.
Hiss	Hisses are unvoiced, sharp, cat-like sounds. They are emitted in isolation, with growls and snarls primarily in the context of warning or defence. They often intimidate the recipient.
Grunt	This is a relatively short, low pitched, blunt sound. Unlike the adult grunt, cub grunts are sometimes used in series. This call is associated with close contact - such as grooming.

This Library contains many documents - most of which are protected by copyright. We fully acknowledge the copyright owned by the owners of these documents. We have prepared this library so members have a source of documents about badgers. This library is open to members only for research, private study or education. The Lancashire Badger Group can not grant any-one the right to make copies of documents, CD-ROMS or any other electronic media in our library. You must seek seek the permission of the copyright owners before making any paper or electronic copies or making any commercial use of the information.