Meet the Barn Owl
and regurgitating a pellet that is conveniently packaged as a tightly compacted ball of fur, bones, and other material not needed for nutrition. Their voracious appetite is matched only by eager students wanting to learn about their diet! Another important owl we study, mainly because of the bird’s proximity to the Barn Owl in North and South America, is the Great Horned Owl. Great Horned Owls do not lend themselves as well to our investigations due to differences in how they ingest and digest their food. That being noted, as we work with students across the world, we find a growing interest in the more challenging study of the Great Horned Owl.
Owl Basics If you asked someone what sound an owl makes, most people would say, “Hoo!,” and that’s not necessarily incorrect. But the vocalizations various owls make distinguish them as uniquely as their appearances do. For example, a Barn Owl does not produce a “hoo,” but rather the “screech” that has been the source of many mythical stories told on dark, spooky nights. Screech Owls, on the other hand, rarely screech but rather have a staccato-like succession of hoots. The Great Horned Owl is known distinctly for its “hoo!” and is one of the most commonly heard owls in the wild. While the Barn Owl is present on nearly all continents, the Great Horned Owl is the most common owl of the Americas. It has feather tufts that can make it somewhat cat-like in appearance. These horns, referred to as “tufts,” easily distinguish it. Great Horned Owls are highly adaptable birds. Their habitats range from suburban areas, to forests, farmlands, and to places
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