Cows moo to communicate with each other and express emotions like hunger, contentment, or distress. They also use distinct moo sounds to identify their calf or herd mates.

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 even shows that each cow has a distinct voice, allowing them to recognise each other’s calls. A mother cow and her calf can easily identify each other through their unique mooing.¹ 

Cows also communicate through other behaviours, like grunting or tail wagging.

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