Wild Women: Owls
By: KARK 4 News
Updated: February 11, 2013
Owls have fascinated people from the beginning--to some they were a
symbol of wisdom, to others they were seen a harbinger of death.
Today owl's are seen as amazing predators with extremely keen senses of hearing and sight and silent flight.
Today owl's are seen as amazing predators with extremely keen senses of hearing and sight and silent flight.
Great Horned
Owl (above):
The largest owl; referred to as a "hoot owl";
some call it the tiger of sky. This owl is one of the only natural predators to the skunk. One of earliest breeding birds in North America, chicks are born this time of year. Listen for loud, deep hoots.
Barred Owl:
Commonly seen in river bottoms and swamps, this owl hoots in a rhythm like "who cooks
for you, who cooks for you all!"; When two owls meet , they make a variety of
monkey-like hooting, barking, and cackling sounds
Barn Owl:
Referred to as "monkey-faced owl," their call is a raspy, hissing
screech. A nesting pair and their young can eat more than 1,000 rodents per
year. This is a bird of open country, such as farmland or grassland, with some
interspersed woodland
Screech Owl:
This is one of the smallest species of owls in North America, at eight inches tall. They can fall prey to larger owls. Their screech sounds like a descending
whistled whinny, and a whistled trill on one pitch.
