The same bird cry that haunts Age of Empires is haunting your Spotify playlist and Marvel movies. The common loon’s warble from the 1997 RTS classic appears in 190+ tracks, from Anaconda to Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and in films like Platoon and Avengers.
Simon Switch MacLean, who sourced the samples for Age of Empires, said:
"They actually are from a CD that I got in Japan with a lot of computer game sounds. It fitted in with the whole concept of the album where it’s kind of fun and cartoony."
The sound effects originated from Audiosparx/Sound Ideas CDs and E-mu Emulator II presets. The call later permeated Counter-Strike, Majora’s Mask, Banjo-Kazooie, and Lego games.
Its absurdity deepens when considering the common loon—a Canadian bird requiring a quarter-mile runway to fly—is now synonymous with jungle warfare and spooky cinematic moments.