Owls are interesting creatures. They are a symbol of wisdom in some cultures but in other cultures owls are feared as a sign of doom and impending death. The collective noun for a group of owls is a “wisdom,” “parliament,” or “bazaar.” Whether you actually see a bazaar of owls or not, they are a hoot to watch and to hear.
As birds, owls are protected under the Migratory Bird Act, but unlike other birds, they don’t wait until the spring to nest. Owls are early nesters, and in particular, the Great Horned Owl. In fall the Great Horned Owl begins courtship. Sitting on the same branch, love songs are exchanged between the male and female. Their courtship calling can be loud with their hollering and hooting often heard during the day. Many Great Horned Owls pair for life with their mates.
Great Horned Owls are the original recyclers and use old hawk or crow nests instead of making their own. Usually they lay two to five white eggs by December and January. The female incubates the clutch of eggs while the male brings her food. Hatchling owls or owlets are born helpless with eyes closed and a covering of down feathers. The owlets look pretty much like white fuzz balls when they are old enough to be seen sitting up in the nest. Both parents provide care for their young. After leaving the nest, these owlets will still depend on their parents for food for several weeks.
Great Horned Owls are the largest of Louisiana’s owl family which also includes the Barred Owl, Eastern Screech Owl and the Barn Owl. Great Horned Owls are easily recognized with their widely spaced ‘ear’ tufts, a white throat bib and dark cross barring that makes them blend in well next to tree bark. Both sexes look alike though the female is larger than the male. An easy way to spot a Great Horned Owl is when crows start ‘mobbing’—a noisy affair. Swooping and dive bombing, the crows (and sometimes other bird species) harass the owl until it moves away from its perch. This perch is generally near another bird’s nest or a favorite roosting site.
The Great Horned Owl is the only owl which feeds on skunks. This is quite a service to society unto itself. They are known for being aggressive hunters and catching prey much larger than themselves. Their diet includes rodents, small to medium sized mammals, other owls, birds of prey, fish, reptiles and amphibians. Great Horned Owls are an important predator on nestling ospreys. There have been stories of young kittens and small dogs being hauled off and eaten as well. Pretty much anything that moves seems to be fair game for a Great Horned Owl meal.
These owls usually hunt at night from perches near open areas. They can swoop down on their prey silently and powerfully with a wingspan of up to sixty inches. And with four to eight-inch talons, the Great Horned Owl can close down on its prey with a force of close to thirty pounds.
Digestion is different with owls. Since they can’t digest bones, fur, feathers or hair, they spit those parts out in a neat package called a pellet. Discovering pellets means there is a good chance you have found the owl’s roosting site. Scientists take these pellets apart, study the skull and bones to identify the deceased, and learn exactly what food items were on the menu. Many a biology student has had the joy of dissecting owl pellets in science class.
Great Horned Owls can be found throughout the United States. They aren’t migratory and their population is stable and growing. A mature owl can live to be thirteen years old in the wild while those in captivity have been known to attain an old age of thirty-seven years.
The call of the Great Horned Owl is a deep whoo, whoo-whoo, whoo that is usually repeated three or four times. While they can vocalize at any time, dusk is the time when I hear them the most. Sometimes their call is mistaken for that of a Barred Owl whose call sounds more like who-cooks-for-you, who-cooks-for-you-all.
