cheep

The crickets and cicadas make a ceaseless, deafening buzz, coyotes cry mournfully in the distance, songbirds cheep and squawk at the first hint of dawn.

A low cheeping sound of dinner conversation ceased.

Even the hatcheries across the nation that specialize in mailing chickens — from simple Rhode Island Reds to cockapoo-looking Silkies that arrive to the post office in vented, cheeping boxes — are wiped out.

By comparing these acoustic data with climate predictions, the research team hopes to learn how drier conditions in the future could threaten prairie chirps and cheeps.

The babies’ cheeps go quiet as soon as she leaves.