To contradict Jarvis Cocker, birds are not something you shag, at least in this thread.
Occasionally, in movies/TV filmed in England, you can hear a particular bird calling in the background during scenes set outside. The call is rawkous and loud, sort of on the order of a crow’s caw, but it sounds like the bird is saying, “MEow” or “MEal” (emphasis on the ME). (I’ve never seen this bird, so I can’t describe its appearance.)
Anyone know what this bird is?
Sounds like a peacock. They have a loud “miaowing” call and are often kept at stately homes, so it’s likely if those are the sort of settings you’ve heard them in (it also means that they are found on “sound effect” CDs).
This page has wav files, so you can compare it yourself.
Yes, that’s it! Thank you! (Hmmm…I wonder, then, if the peacock’s calls are left in the sound mix on purpose to underline the grandness of the settings.)
That’s a great page you linked to, btw.
Yes, peacock calls often make it into the backgorund of period dramas etc. If you’ve ever visited an English stately home, the distinctive sound tends to stick in your mind and conjure up visions of neatly clipped hedges, immaculate lawns, Bentleys crunching sedately up gravel drives… just another day chez r_k really 