Why Do Donkeys Bray? The Hee-Haw Explained and Donkey Talk

What is a bray?

The bray is the donkey’s loudest and most famous call. It is a long, rhythmic series of sounds that rises and falls, usually written in English as “hee-haw” and in other languages as “i-a” or “hi-han”. A full bray often lasts several seconds and can go on for around 20 seconds.

The unusual thing about the bray is that it is produced on both the in-breath and the out-breath. The squeaky, high “hee” is made while the donkey breathes in, and the deeper, rasping “haw” while it breathes out. Most mammals call only while breathing out, which is why the bray sounds so different from a horse’s whinny or a cow’s moo.

A braying donkey typically stretches its neck forward, opens its mouth wide and pulls its lips back, which is the posture often seen in photographs of “laughing” donkeys.

Why did donkeys evolve such a loud call?

The answer lies in the donkey’s wild ancestor, the African wild ass. It lives in rocky deserts and dry scrub in the Horn of Africa, where plants and water are scattered. Unlike horses and zebras, which live in tight family herds, wild asses often spread out across the landscape, with mothers and foals the only animals that stay close together.

In open country with few landmarks, a call that carries several kilometers lets animals keep track of each other without staying side by side. Adult male wild asses defend large territories, and their brays also help announce their presence. Domestic donkeys have inherited the same call and the same large ears, which help them hear distant brays.

When do donkeys bray?

Donkeys bray in a range of situations, and the reason is usually clear from the context:

• Contact calling: a donkey that has lost sight of its companion, or is left alone in a field, often brays repeatedly until it hears or sees its friend.
• Feeding time: donkeys learn routines very quickly and often bray at dawn or when they see the person who brings hay.
• Greeting: many donkeys bray when a familiar animal or person arrives.
• Alarm and guarding: donkeys used as livestock guardians bray loudly at dogs and coyotes before chasing them, which can also alert farmers.
• Breeding: jacks bray often and loudly when they detect jennies in season, and wild ass males bray in the presence of females ready to mate.
• Distress or discomfort: a donkey that is frightened, hungry or in pain may also bray, although donkeys often hide illness quietly.

Jacks usually bray more than jennies, and some individuals are simply more vocal than others.

How far does a bray carry?

Animal Diversity Web notes that a donkey’s hee-haw can be heard up to about 3 km away, and other references put the range at over 3 km in good conditions. Several features help: the call is loud, long and repeated, and it combines high and low sounds. Low-pitched sounds travel well over distance, while the alternating rhythm makes the call stand out from wind and other background noise.

Distance depends on terrain, wind and temperature. In still air on a cool morning across open land, a bray carries much further than on a windy afternoon in a built-up area.

Other ways donkeys communicate

Braying is only a small part of donkey communication. Most “conversation” is quiet and close:

• Ears: ears pinned back signal anger or warning, ears forward show attention, and one ear forward with one back often means the donkey is listening to two things at once.
• Tail: quick swishing shows irritation, often at flies or another animal.
• Touch: friends groom each other, stand close, touch muzzles and lean against each other.
• Softer sounds: donkeys also snort, grunt and make low rumbling or wheezing sounds, especially when greeting or anxious.
• Scent: dung piles mark territories in wild and feral donkeys, and donkeys sniff dung and each other to learn who has been nearby.

Bray vs whinny: how donkeys differ from horses and zebras

Members of the horse family share many signals, but their loud calls differ. A horse whinnies or neighs, a high, shaking call made on the out-breath. Zebras such as the plains zebra make a barking or yelping call that sounds quite unlike either.

Mules, which have a donkey father and a horse mother, often produce a call that starts like a whinny and ends like a bray. It is one of the easy ways to tell a mule from a donkey by ear; see donkey vs mule for other differences.

Myths about braying

“A braying donkey is always unhappy.” Not true. Many brays are simple contact calls or greetings, and a donkey that brays at breakfast time is usually just hungry and impatient.

“Donkeys bray to predict rain.” There is no scientific evidence for this old piece of weather lore. Donkeys may react to changes in wind or sound before a storm, but braying is not a reliable forecast.

“Only male donkeys bray.” Both sexes bray, although jacks tend to do it more.