Expert: Julia Booth - 10/30/2008

Question
Hi!

I was wondering if you could help me ID some birds that are heard in the Jurassic Park movies.
First, there is the Dilophosaur, which you can listen to here: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=22ztVTfOeSA
Now, I want to identify the first sounds the animal makes, the ones that sound like whistles and chirping, not the final scream (which I believe is a hawk). According to some sources, the chirping is from a swan, but Im not sure about the species or if its really a swan.
Then there is the raptor call, here (the third dinosaur to appear):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwxQQJz_-Ko
I have been told that the booming sound it does is actually the mating call of a crane. Again, I would like to know what species.

Finally, there is a tinamou call just at the begining of the movie; sadly, I couldnīt find a video or recording of that scene, but it sound just when the Universal logo is seen. I know its a tinamou but I dont know the species; it sound like a two note whistle but has an eerie quality to it. It is also heard in the two sequels, and in Shrek 2.

Sorry I canīt be more specific. Im mostly interested on the raptor and dilophosaur calls.

Thanks!

Answer
I cannot play video clips at this time.

I have zero knowledge of dinosaurs, outside of the same things that my kids probably know.

Based on my not so recent viewing of this film, my personal opinion is that they used rather generic bird sounds to create a jungle-like effect, probably using south American species as a resource. They may have used raptor calls.

I could not ID any dinosaur calls for you, especially since they are based on fiction and we have no actual scientific proof of what they would have sounded like.

This movie is exactly that -a movie. Rarely do I hear accurate bird sounds in films. They are either dubbed in and tend to be species that aren't even appropriate to the geographic setting OR they are just sounds from whatever birds happened to be nearby during the filming, which is usually sparrows/pigeons or crows. Loons are preferred for mood.

Perhaps there is a dinosaur expert on this site?

Sorry I couldn't help more,

Julia