![]() ![]() The Northern Pygmy-owl (Glaucidium gnoma) is our smallest owl, at 7 inches tall, including its long tail. It eats small mammals, including shrews and mice, and will also catch small birds and bats. It prefers dense coniferous and broad-leaved forests next to water. Like the screech owl, it nests in tree cavities and will use a nest box. This seemingly tame, fearless little owl moves from higher elevations to valleys in winter. It has dark brown plumage, brown and white vertical breast streaks, and no ear-tufts. The Northern saw-whet owl (Aegolius acadicus) is 8 inches tall with an 18-inch wingspan. Screech owls favor areas near water, and eat rodents, small birds, and large insects, as well as the occasional fish, crayfish, or amphibian. A year-round resident throughout Washington, it nests in tree cavities, including old woodpecker holes, but will also use nest boxes. Adults are dark brown or gray with small ear-tufts. The Western screech owl (Otus kennicottii) is a small owl, with a height of 10 inches and a 20-inch wingspan. The barn owl is one of the largest owl species in Washington. The barn owl has a preference for rats and other rodents and earned its name by readily nesting in barns, silos, and sheds.įigure 3. ![]() It has a 39-inch wingspan, and its long legs give it a height of up to 20 inches. 3), with its white, heart-shaped face, no ear-tufts, dark eyes, and golden-buff plumage with ghostly light underparts, is distinctive and unique. Barred and spotted owls are closely related and occasionally mate where their ranges overlap. The barred owl is distinguished from the spotted owl (Strix occidentalis) by its streaked belly (spotted owls have a combination of spots and bars). forests and is a recent arrival to Washington. The barred owl is primarily a bird of eastern and northern U.S. The barring pattern on the neck and breast is crosswise and lengthwise on the belly. 2) is similar in size to the great horned owl, but has dark eyes, a thicker appearing neck, and no ear-tufts. Great horned owls can turn their heads 270 degrees either way when facing forward, but they can’t turn their heads 360 degrees. It is dark brown with black spots above the underparts are pale brown with heavy, dark brown bars. The great horned owl stands 20 inches tall and has a 48-inch wingspan. The barred owl is not native to Washington, but is well adapted to the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Captive birds can live almost 30 years.įigure 2. The oldest banded great horned owl recovered in the wild was 13 years old.About 50 percent of the young that leave the nest die within their first year from starvation, vehicle collisions, and various other causes.It is, for instance, common to find these owls riddled with porcupine quills or reeking of skunk scent. Adult great horned owls may be killed or seriously injured when attacking prey.An owl seldom uses the same nest more than once, because trampling by the young usually reduces any nest to a disintegrating mass of sticks.Rather, they customarily usurp the previous year’s nest made by a red-tailed hawk, crow, magpie, great blue heron, or tree squirrel. Great horned owls make little if any effort to construct nests or even to repair suitable existing ones.Where suitable nest trees don’t exist, owls will use rock ledges, power-line towers, haylofts, and nest boxes. Great horned owl nests are located high up in trees-generally in the crotch of a branch next to the trunk.Both parents feed and tend the young for several months, often as late as September.They begin taking short flights at seven weeks, and can fly well at nine to ten weeks. The young remain in the nest for about six weeks, and then climb out onto nearby branches. ![]() The male provides her food and guards the nest. The female incubates one to four eggs for 30 to 36 days.The male owl chooses a nest site and attempts to attract a female by frequent hooting. ![]() Pair formation can occur from mid-January to mid-March, depending on the north-south range and elevation. Great horned owls use a sit and-wait approach, watching from a perch and swooping down on passing prey to seize it with their talons.Since their eyes don’t move in their sockets, they rotate their heads on their flexible necks. Owls have keen hearing and keen vision in low light, both adaptations for hunting at night.To a lesser extent, great horned owls eat reptiles, amphibians, fish, and insects.They also eat a variety of birds, including quail, ducks, and smaller owl species. Great horned owls primarily eat small mammals such as rabbits, skunks, and rodents.Monofilament recovery and recycling program. ![]()
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