OCTOBER (^) I NOVEMBER 2017 birdsandblooms.com 11
MARIE READ; BOOK: THE MOUNTAINEERS BOOKS
The Greatest
Hu nter
f there’s a nesting
owl in your
neighborhood,
there’s a good
chance it’s a great horned. The
second-largest owl species in
North America, these birds of prey
make themselves at home in a
diverse range of habitats, including
deserts, wetlands and forests.
Overall, they prefer woods near
open areas and fields, but they
aren’t too picky about what they
eat. From snakes and scorpions to
rabbits and mice, a great horned
owl’s diet is expansive.
One thing that makes great
horned owls skilled nocturnal
hunters is their hearing capability.
The owl’s facial disk (the collection
of feathers around the eyes) works
like a satellite dish, trapping the
sound and forcing it toward the ear
canal. Its ears are on either side of
the head, with one higher than the
other to help the owl zero in on the
location of its prey.
While fall and winter might
seem like improbable times to
nest, the great horned owl is no
ordinary bird. “When the young
are hatching, there has to be an
abundant prey source to feed
them, and great horned owls
have it timed just right,” says Jim
Herkert, executive director of the
Illinois Audubon Society. In late
winter and early spring, plenty
of mammals and other prey are
available for the parents to bring
I
THE FEED
to their recently hatched young.
Owls hoot at night, especially
before breeding season in fall.
A paired male and female utter
a low series of five to eight hoots.
They also bow to each other and
rub their bills together. They raise
their young in abandoned squirrel
or hawk nests or in tree cavities.
Females lay eggs in late November
in Florida, late December in
the Carolinas, and late January
farther north.
The young hatch in about 30
days. The male brings food to
his partner, who tears it into
bite-sized pieces and feeds it to
the young. In three weeks, their
offspring begin peering out of the
nest, showing off the white down
on their heads. By seven weeks,
fledgling great horneds make
short flights, but adults continue
to bring them food, responding to
an eerie begging call that sounds
like a human scream. Fledged owls
typically stay with their parents
for most of the summer.
Great horned owl numbers are
declining, according to the Cornell
Lab of Ornithology. To help, erect
a wooden nesting platform with
shallow sides in a live tree. Place
large sticks and grass inside to
mimic a hawk’s or crow’s nest.
Once you’ve attracted a pair of
great horned owls, listen for hoots
in the autumn night. Just make
sure you watch from a distance so
you don’t disturb them.
A BIRTHDAY
VISITOR
On the morning of
her birthday, my wife was
blessed with a gift from
Mother Nature herself.
The first thing Jan saw
when she looked out the
bedroom window was
the neighborhood great
horned owl gazing back at
her! The bird continued to
perch in the juniper tree
for most of the morning.
Alan St. John
BEND, OREGON
PERFECT PAIRS
Great horned owl pairs are
monogamous and may stay
together for five years or
more. Some researchers
think they stick by each
other’s sides for life.
STUFF WE LOVE
Award-winning photographer
Paul Bannick takes readers
along for the ride as he
documents one year in the
life of various owls in his book
Owl: A Year in the Life of
North American Owls.
Visit barnesandnoble.com
to order a copy.
Get an up-close look at the exciting lives of
these fierce predators. BY SHERYL DEVORE
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