Backyard Birds

The definition of “Camouflage” is to conceal or disguise. Camouflage is the great horned owl’s perfect tool to blend into its surroundings. Remaining motionless on a tree limb, near the trunk, it can blend in so well that if you were looking for this creature you may never see it unless it moves.

Known as “winged tiger”, “tiger in the air”, “”tiger owl” or “hoot owl”, the great horned owl is the largest owl in our part of the country. Living up to its many nicknames this ferocious owl is a powerful hunter.

Weighing in at 3.2lbs, it takes a wing span of over 4.5ft to lift itself and the weight of its prey. It can lift prey as much as 1.4 times its own body weight. Using powerful talons and grip, it has the strength of up to 500 psi while a human 20-30 year old male will only have a gripping strength of 125 psi. These great hunters typically eat small mammals such as mice, rabbits, woodchucks, rats, squirrels, and even skunks.

While able to hunt during the day, they can see better after dark. The feather tufts that look like ears are only tufts of feathers and not actual ears, but they do aid in hearing by catching the airwaves and thereby improving hearing. Flying silently after dark with impeccable eyesight and hearing, they are fantastic hunting machines.

Keeping the same nesting site in both summer and winter months, this bird can often nest in the same territory for eight consecutive years with the same mate. The benefits of having the same mate means that they can guard a territory together for a longer period of time. A territory of up to one to four square miles is a huge area to defend but the food supply determines the size of the area. In other words the more plentiful the food the smaller the area that will be needed for food.

We are now in the time of year in which these monogamous mates will begin calling to each other. A mating pair will begin nesting very early with the female sitting on their eggs in January and February. This means a lot of discouraging weather with snow covering her feathers. The female will stay in the nest while the male hunts and finds food for the both of them. A lot of times the red tail hawk can breed in the same area, but since their nesting period and hunting times do not overlap like their territories, they can coexist. Since the great horned owl does not build a nest, it can use the red tailed hawks nest and would be done with using the nest before the red tail hawk will need it.

Getting past that first year is critical for the great horned owl. They live about 15 years in the wild. What a fantastic creature! It can patiently wait while sitting on a branch looking for food to go by on the ground below. With keen eyesight, superb hearing, silent flight, powerful talons and wings they clean up the rodents.

“A wise old owl sat in an oak. The more he saw, the less he spoke. The less he spoke, the more he heard. Why can’t we be like that wise old bird?” -Edward Hersey Richards.