Why do cows moo?
Cows use sound (mooing) to communicate with each other and their environment.
Last updated 17/01/2024
Cows are herd animals and have complex social structures. Mooing is one way that they interact and how they express their emotions. They use different pitches of sound to express different emotions. They moo to: seek their herd mates, calf or mother; say they are hungry; call for a partner when they are wishing to mate; raise alarm to warn their herd mates of potential danger; show contentment; and express pain.
Research shows individual cows have distinct voices, so as they moo to one another, the animals nearby know who's who and a cow and her calf can recognise each other.1
Cows also use other forms of behaviour to communicate, such as grunting and wagging their tails.
References
- 1. Padilla de la Torre, Monica & Briefer, Elodie & M. Ochocki, Brad & McElligott, Alan & Reader, Tom. (2016). Mother-offspring recognition via contact calls in cattle (Bos taurus). Animal Behaviour. In press. 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.02.004
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