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Why do animals sometimes climb or fly above the ground before calling?

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Animals communicate by sending and receiving signals. For example, a mother dingo (Canis lupus dingo) can communicate certain types of information to her pups by using tactile signals conveyed through grooming. — Animal communication Animals communicate by sending and receiving signals. For example, a mother dingo (*Canis lupus dingo*) can communicate certain types of information to her pups by using tactile signals conveyed through grooming.

Animals often climb or fly to locations high above the ground before vocalizing to improve the transmission of their sound signals.

When a sender and receiver are close to a surface, such as the ground, sound travels via two routes: a direct path and an indirect path where the sound bounces off the surface. If these two signals arrive at the receiver out of phase, they can cancel each other out, a phenomenon that is particularly acute for intermediate frequencies and when both parties are near the ground.1

By moving to a higher location, animals can avoid this destructive interference, allowing their signals to propagate more effectively. This behavior is most common among intermediately sized animals that are unable to produce the very low-frequency sounds that can bypass these surface-related cancellation effects.1