HOOT by ana Perez

HOOT Texas Owls and Their Habitats

Contents Owls 4

Burrowing Owl Saw-Whet Owl Barn Owl Great Horned Owl Screech Owl

Nesting Boxes

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WHA-WHARRRK CROAK

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R.I.P Owl Bundy 1945-2010 t

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HOOP

OWLS

Owls are one of natureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most mysterious birds due to theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re nocturnal habits and silent flight. Owls are more often heard than actually seen. Throughout history, their eerie night time hoots have generated myth and superstition as well as fear. Because owls can see in the dark, they were once believed to possess supernatural powers. Due to their large eyes and solemn looks, Owls are often used to symbolize wisdom. Beyond the symbols and myths that surround these creatures, Owls play an important role in nature. They are efficient and deadly hunters at the top of the food chain. Owls help control the population of small rodents that coexist within their ecosystem. There are over two hundred species of owls, and only six of which reside in Texas year-round. These species have unique qualities in their appearance, habitat, and diet.

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BURROWING OWL The Burrowing Owl is a small, long-legged owl found throughout open landscapes of North and South America. Burrowing owls can be found in grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, or any other dry, open area with low vegetation. They nest and roost in burrows, such as those excavated by prairie dogs. Unlike most owls, burrowing owls are often active during the day, although they tend to avoid the mid-day heat. Most hunting is still done from dusk until dawn. Burrowing owls have bright yellow eyes. The beak can be between yellowish or greenish depending on the subspecies. Males and females are similar in size and appearance. Adult males appear lighter in color than females because they spend more time outside the burrow during daylight, and their feathers become â&#x20AC;&#x153;sun-bleachedâ&#x20AC;?. The average adult is slightly larger than robin ,10 inches tall and a 21 inch wingspan.

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Habits Burrowing owls generally active at dusk and dawn, but sometimes at night also. They are highly terrestrial, and are often seen perched on a mound of dirt, telegraph or fence post - frequently on one foot. They bob up and down when excited

Habitat

Nesting

Burrowing Owls are found in open, dry grasslands, agricultural and range lands, and desert habitats often associated with burrowing animals, particularly prairie dogs, ground squirrels and badgers. They can also inhabit grass, forb, and shrub stages of pinyon and ponderosa pine habitats. They commonly perch on fence posts or on top of mounds outside the burrow. t lives on the ground and either digs its own home in the dirt or uses that of other animals, such as armadillos and prairie dogs. It is common on golf courses, fields, grasslands, airports, and even in cemeteries.

Burrowing Owls have been reported to nest in loose colonies. Such groupings may be a response to a local abundance of burrows and food, or an adaptation for mutual defence. Colony members can alert each other to the approach of predators and join in driving them off. During the nesting season, adult males forage over a home range of 2 to 3 square kilometres. Ranges of neighbouring males may overlap considerably. A small area around the nest burrow is aggressively defended against intrusions by other Burrowing Owls and predators.

BURROWING OWL Athene cunicularia

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Food

Hunting

Burrowing Owls feed on a wide variety of prey, changing food habits as location and time of year determine availability. Small Mammals Deer mice, shrews, voles. Other mammals squirrels, moles, bats, flying squirrels, and house mice. Birds swallows, sparrows, chickadees, kinglets, Northern Cardinal, and Rock Dove

These Owls are quite versatile in the ways they capture prey. They chase down grasshoppers and beetles on the ground, use their talons to catch large insects in the air, or hover in mid-air before swooping down on unsuspecting prey. They also watch from perches, then glide silently toward their target. Burrowing Owls are primarily active at dusk and dawn, but will hunt throughout a 24-hour period, especially when they have young to feed.

Lifespan Burrowing Owls are able to live for at least 9 years in the wild and over 10 years in captivity. They are often killed by vehicles when crossing roads, and have many natural enemies, including larger Owls, hawks, falcons, badgers, skunks, ferrets, armadillos, snakes, and domestic cats and dogs.

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SAW-WHET OWL The Saw-whet Owl is a very small, short bodied, owl with a relatively short tail. The overly large head has no ear tufts and may appear distorted due to an asymmetrical skull. They look small when perched and tend to shuffle their feet, but in flight appear larger because of their broad wings. The Northern Saw-whet Owl vocalises during the breeding season only (usually between March and May). They are silent at other times of the year. The primary courtship call is a monotonous, whistled “hoop”, emitted at about 1.5 notes per second which may last for several hours without a break. Territorial calls are series of short clear notes. The Saw-whet Owl’s name comes from the “skiew” call that is made when alarmed. This sound has a resemblance to the whetting of a saw. When the male flies to the nest with food it gives a rapid staccato burst of toots, and the female responds with a soft “swEE”.

Habits Northern Saw-whet Owls are strictly Nocturnal, with activity beginning at late dusk. When threatened, a Sawwhet Owl will elongate its body in order to appear like a tree branch or bump, often bringing one wing around to the front of the body.

Habitat

Nesting

Northern Saw-whet Owls inhabit coniferous and deciduous forests, with thickets of second-growth or shrubs. They occur mainly in forests with deciduous trees, where woodpeckers create cavities for nest sites. Breeding habitat is usually swampy or wet, rather than dry. Riparian habitat is often preferred. Their breeding habitat is coniferous forests, sometimes mixed or deciduous woods, across North America

Northern Saw-whet Owls nest in old woodpecker cavities, primarily those made by Pileated Woodpeckers or Northern Flickers, or in natural cavities. They will also take to nest boxes quite readily. Nest trees are often dead and nest heights average 4 to 6 metres (13-20 feet) above ground. Nesting occurs between March and July.

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SAW-WHET OWL Aegolius acadicus

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Food

Hunting

These Owls hunt mainly at dusk and dawn and most often use the “sit and wait” tactic to drop down onto prey on the ground from low hunting perches. They will also range through wooded areas and hunt in heavy shrub cover. When prey is plentiful, a Saw-whet Owl will kill as many as 6 mice in rapid succession, without consuming any of them. The excess food is cached in safe places and, in winter, is thawed out later by “brooding” the frozen carcass. When food is plentiful, it is common for only the head of each prey to be eaten.

Lifespan Captive Owls have lived for 8 years, but mortality in the wild is likely relatively high. They compete with Boreal Owls, starlings, and squirrels for nest cavities, and are preyed upon by larger Owls, martens, Cooper’s Hawks, and Northern Goshawks.

CROAK

BARN OWL The barn owl is the most widely distributed species of owl, and one of the most widely spread of all birds. the barn owl exists in east Texas. It is an extraordinary bird, able to hunt in complete darkness wile relying solely on its hearing. No other bird that has ever been tested has shown the incredible hearing the barn owl possesses. The barn owl is the rare species of bird in which females have more noticeable markings than the males do. Barn owls are medium sized owls, standing approximately 10 to 12 inches high, and despite their size, they are exceedingly light, weighing about a pound. The Barn Owl calls infrequently, the usual call being a darn-out rasping screech. The courtship call of a male at nest is a shrill repetitive twittering. Adults returning to a nest may give a low-frog like croak. When surprised in its roosting hollow or nest, it makes hissing and rasping noises and snapping sounds that are often called bill snapping, but possibly made by clicking the tongue.

Habits Generally nocturnal, although it is not uncommon to see this species emerge at dusk or be active at dawn, occasionally being seen in flight during full daylight. Common names like “Demon Owl”, “Death Owl” or “Ghost Owl” show that for long, the rural population considered Barn Owls to be birds of evil omen in many places.

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Habitat

Nesting

The Barn Owl is one of the most widespread of all land birds. They are found on all continents. Barn Owls are relatively common throughout most of their range and not considered globally threatened. However, locally severe declines from rodenticides in the late 20th century have affected some populations.While the Barn Owl is prolific and able to recover from population decreases, they are not as common in some places as they used to be. Barn Owls are listed as endangered species in seven Midwestern states

The Barn Owl is found in virtually all habitats but much more abundantly in open woodland, heaths and moors than forested country. They usually roost by day in tree hollows but have also been found in caves, wells, out-buildings or thick foliage. Most nest sites are in tree hollows, but in areas with much human activity, cavities in buildings are often used. Occasionally, nesting takes place in mine shafts and caves. The nest site is usually quite high above the ground, sometimes up to 60 ft

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BARN OWL Tyto alba

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Food

Hunting

Barn Owls are cannibals if they go without food for 4 days.A Barn Owl will eat anything it can subdue and that is more than a beakful, from small rodents to birds weighing as much as the owl itself. Small Rodents Field mice, pocket gophers, shrews, Minor Prey baby rabbits, bats, frogs, lizards, birds and insects.

The Barn Owl has acute hearing, with ears placed asymmetrically for improved detection of sound position and distance, and it does not require sight to hunt. Hunting nocturnally or crepuscularly, it can target and dive down, penetrating it talons through snow, grass or brush to seize rodents with deadly accuracy. Compared to other owls of similar size, the Barn Owl has a much higher metabolic rate, requiring relatively more food. Pound for pound, Barn Owls consume more rodents â&#x20AC;&#x201C; often regarded as pests by humans â&#x20AC;&#x201C; than possibly any other creature. This makes the Barn Owl one of the most economically valuable wildlife animals to farmers.

Lifespan Barn Owls are short-lived birds. Most die in their first year of life, with the average life expectancy being 1 to 2 years in the wild. In North America the oldest known Barn Owl in the wild lived to be 11 years, 6 months. In England, a captive female barn owl was retired from breeding at 25 years old!

WHA-WHARRRK

GREAT HORNED OWL Great Horned Owls can vary in colour from a reddish brown to a grey or black and white. The underside is a light grey with dark bars and a white band of feathers on the upper breast. They have large, staring yellow-orange eyes, bordered in most races by an orange-buff facial disc. The name is derived from tufts of feathers that appear to be “horns” which are sometimes referred to as “ear tufts” but have nothing to do with hearing at all. The large feet are feathered to the ends of the toes, and the immature birds resemble the adults. Females are 10 to 20% larger than males. Great Horned Owls have a large repertoire of sounds, ranging from deep booming hoots to shrill shrieks. The male’s resonant territorial call “wha-whark” can be heard over several miles during a still night. Both sexes hoot, but males have a lower-pitched voice than females.

Habits

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These birds also have 500 pounds per square inch of crushing power in their talons. An average adult human male has about 60 pounds per square inch in his hands. They may let uneaten food freeze and then thaw it out later using their own body heat. They also tend to eat and regurgitate food in the same locations.

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Habitat

Nesting

The great horned owl is a year round presence in eastern Texas and prefers open woodlands along with farmlands. It occupies a wide range of habitats and altitudes, including deserts, grasslands, mountains, foothills of mountains coniferous and deciduous woodlands, Great Horned Owls have adapted to many different places and climates. They occur in habitats from dense forests, deserts and plains to city parks.

This owl will use a nest made by other birds rather than construct its own. They do not build a nest of their own but utilise the nests of other birds such as the hawk, crow and heron. They may also use squirrel nests, hollows in trees, rocky caves, clumps of witches broom, abandoned buildings, or on artificial platforms. They are extremely aggressive when defending the nest and will continue to attack until the intruder is killed or driven off.

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GREAT HORNED OWL Bubo virginianus WHA-WHARRK

Food

Hunting

A Great Horned Owl is powerful enough to take prey 3 times heavier than itself. Mammals Rabbits, mink, skunks, raccoons, armadillos, porcupines, shrews, moles, muskrats, bats and small domestic dog. Bird prey all other Owls, woodpeckers, crows, turkeys, pigeons, Red-tailed Hawks, Great Blue Heron, ducks, swans, gulls Reptiles & Amphibians snakes, turtles, lizards, and young alligators, frogs, toads, and salamanders.

Great Horned Owls hunt by perching on snags and poles and watching for prey, or by gliding slowly above the ground. From high perches they dive down to the ground with wings folded, before snatching prey. They also hunt by walking on the ground to capture small prey or wading into water to snatch frogs and fish. They have been known to walk into chicken coops to take domestic fowl. Rodents and small rabbits can be swallowed whole while larger prey are carried off and ripped apart at the nest and perches.

Lifespan A long-lived Owl, captive birds have been known to live 29 to 38 years, and wild Owls up to 13 years. Most mortality is related to man - shootings, traps, road kills and electrocutions. The only natural enemies are other Great Horned Owls and, occasionally, Northern Goshawks.-

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SCREECH OWL The eastern screech owl, known for its resounding call, is a resident of east Texas. It is much like the western screech owl which can be found in western parts of the state except that it has a much lighter bill. The eastern screech owl inhabits eastern Texas all year and is a smallish owl, with a large specimen being less than a foot tall. The Saw-whet Owl is a very small, short-bodied, Owl with a relatively short tail. The overly large head has no ear tufts and may appear distorted due to an asymmetrical skull. They look small when perched and tend to shuffle their feet, but in flight appear larger because of their broad wings.Plumage is quite fluffy and brownish or reddish brown overall streaked with white underneath and spotted on the back. Flight feathers are spotted white. The legs and feet are light buff and heavily feathered. The toes are lightly feathered and the claws are dark horn with blackish tips.

Habits Screech-owls are generally colored in various brownish hues with usually a whitish, patterned underside, which helps to camouflage them against the bark of trees. Will become motionless if disturbed at roost, and can sometimes be cought by hand in this state.

Habitat

Nesting

Eastern Screech Owls inhabit open mixed woodlands, deciduous forests, parklands, wooded suburban areas, riparian woods along streams and wetlands (especially in drier areas), mature orchards, and woodlands near marshes, meadows, and fields. They will avoid dense forests because Great Horned Owls use that habitat. They will also avoid high elevation forests. Eastern Screech Owls roost mainly in natural cavities in large trees, including cavities open to the sky during dry weather.

They nest almost exclusively in tree cavities, with enlarged natural cavities being preferred, but they will also use old Pileated Woodpecker and Northern Flicker cavities. Nest cavities are usually 20 feet above the ground. They will readily nest in suitable nest boxes and occasionally behind loose boards on abandoned buildings or barns. Nests are almost always in deciduous trees such as oaks, elms, maples, sycamores, willows, and apples; occasionally in pines. Pairs will often reuse nest sites in consecutive years.

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SCREECH OWL Megascops asio KERR-RR-RRR

Food

Hunting

Screech Owls have been observed fishing at holes in lake ice left by fishers, or at open pockets of water. Small Rodents deer mice, Norway rats, chipmunks, cotton rats, squirrels, shrews, and bats. Birds many species of small songbirds, and larger birds such as Northern Bobwhite, Rock Dove, and Ruffed Grouse Other prey small fish, small snakes, lizards, and soft-shelled turtles, small frogs, toads, and salamanders, and invertebrates such as crayfish, snails, spiders, earthworms, scor pions, and centipedes.

Eastern Screech Owls hunt from dusk to dawn, with most hunting being done during the first four hours of darkness. They hunt mainly from perches, occasionally hovering to catch prey. This Owl mainly hunts in open woodlands, along the edges of open fields or wetlands, or makes short forays into open fields. When prey is spotted, the Owl dives quickly and seizes it in its talons. They will also capture flying insects on the wing. Small prey will usually be swallowed whole on the spot, while larger prey is carried in the bill to a perch and then torn into pieces. They are opportunistic hunters and will switch to almost any suitably-sized prey when abundant.

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NESTING BOXES Nest boxes can be of great benefit, especially in areas where there is plenty of food available but a shortage of suitable nesting or roosting sites. Owls are excellent sources of rodent control, and their presence adds beauty and wonder to the environment. Habitat reduction has reduced their numbers, and an active program of owl box construction will help offset this. Preferably there should be little human disturbance around the nest box, although some owls will nest in barns being used for regular and routine farm activities.

R.I.P Owl Bundy 1945-2010 t

He was a hoo