Doleful creatures: (occurring only Isaiah 13:21. Hebrews ochim, i.e., "shrieks;" hence "howling animals"), a general name for screech owls (howlets), which occupy the desolate palaces of Babylon. Some render the word "hyaenas."

Noah Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language

(a.) Full of grief; melancholy; sorrowful; sad; dismal.