The Tadoba Field Sound Library

Deep, resonant, slowly repeated. The call experienced guides trust most.

Sharp, high, repeated. The most common alarm you'll hear at Tadoba.

Harsh coughing barks from the canopy — often the animal that can actually see the cat.

A loud dog-like bark from thick cover. Heard far more often than the animal is seen.

A ringing “may-awe”, sometimes with a clatter of wings.

Snorts and sudden movement rather than a formal call. Body language, not announcement.

Explosive bolting and snorting — a reaction worth reading even without a call.

Harsh chatter, often directed at a resting predator.

Agitated group scolding — the seven sisters giving something away.

Varied, sharp, and a known mimic of other species' alarms.

The rising whistle heard over the canopy through most of the day.

First light at the gate — the layered chorus before the engines start.

The shift change as day birds settle and nightjars begin.

Rain on teak, running water, and a forest at its loudest and greenest.

A fast, insistent chatter from low branches and trunks. Small, common, and quicker to react than almost anything else in the forest — often the very first warning you'll hear.

The four-note call that runs through the hot months and is far more often heard than the bird is seen. Not an alarm — but part of the sound of the season you're driving in.

The soft, questioning note that starts up around the lodges after dark. Often the last thing you hear before sleep on a safari night.

Harsh and scolding, and nothing like as elegant as the bird looks in flight. A constant of open buffer edges and roadside wires.

A duetting pair calling back and forth through undergrowth — one of those sounds that tells you the forest is going about its business undisturbed.