They are frequently referred to as the “Tiger of the Sky” for their fierce demeanor. Get too close to nesting Great Horned Owls and you’ll likely end up in the emergency room covered with cuts from their lethal talons. Their powerful talons have the crushing power of 500 pounds per square inch, compared with a human’s paltry 60 pounds per square inch. Prey caught by Great Horned Owls doesn’t suffer – it is killed instantly.
A Great Horned Owl can easily take prey two to three times larger than itself. They like to take the largest prey available since smaller prey costs more in energy than is benefited in food. Common dinner fare consists of other birds, rabbits, raccoons, squirrels, mice, snakes and bats. Since they have no sense of smell, they are one of the few animals that will readily eat skunks. And don’t be surprised if your cat or small dog doesn’t come back home after a nightly foray. Several Northern Kentuckians have lost small pets to this efficient and non-discriminate predator.
Great Horned Owls have evolved several adaptations that make them such skilled hunters. Primarily nocturnal, they have excellent nighttime vision and can see about 100 times better than people can after dark. Their eyes are fixed forward so when an owl wants to see something off to the side, it must move its whole head. They have twice as many neck bones as humans, which allow them to rotate their heads 270-degrees, almost full-circle.
Our largest owl with ear tufts, their hearing is as good as, if not better than their eyesight. One ear is positioned higher than the other, allowing them to hear noises from above and below. As with other owls, their rounded face forms a facial disc, which acts as a sort of satellite dish, allowing them to receive sounds and funnel them to the ears.
They have up to a 5-foot wingspan, though you’ll never hear the flap of their wings. They possess “silent flight.” Their flight feathers are fringed in order to muffle the sound of approach. Prey never hears them coming.
Good time to hear them
Now is an excellent time to hear Great Horned Owls. They are establishing nesting territories and can often be heard calling to one another. The duet is a simple call: “hoo, hoo, hoooooo, hoo, hoo.” The male has a noticeably deeper voice than the female.
By mid-winter the female will be on the nest incubating 2 to 3 eggs. By nesting in the dead of winter Great Horned Owls do not have to compete with Red-tail hawks and squirrels for nesting sites. Incubation lasts about a month. The male is always close by helping with incubation and feeding the female while she is on the nest. Once the eggs hatch, both parents feed the ever-hungry chicks. Young owls start branching at 6 weeks and fledge at around 2 months. Young stay with their parents through the summer and disperse the following fall to establish territories of their own.
It is never wise to approach a Great Horned Owl nest. Few birds are as aggressive in defending their nest. They will continue to attack an intruder until it is either killed or driven off. Their talons are a formidable weapon.
Great Horned Owls are long-lived birds and, other than humans, have few natural enemies. It is not uncommon for them to live close to 20 years in the wild.
Learn about these great birds
Learn more about owls at Highland Cemetery on Thursday, October 22 from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. Sponsored by Highland Cemetery and Wild Birds Unlimited, the program will feature live owls for the public to see and learn about. The family friendly program is free and will take place in the cemetery’s chapel, rain or shine. Seating is limited. Call 859-331-3220 or e-mail office@highlandcemetery.com to make a reservation. Highland Cemetery is located at 2167 Dixie Highway, Ft. Mitchell.
Gayle Pille is a local naturalist and nature writer who many know through her work to establish the five-mile network of nature trails at Highland Cemetery in Ft. Mitchell. She created the cemetery’s popular 25-year-old Wildlife Enhancement Program and works with a small team of volunteers to maintain the cemetery’s wooded walking paths. An avid birdwatcher, Gayle also builds custom wildlife nest boxes for businesses, parks and residences through her business, www.woodlandhabitat.com
Contact her at gaylepille@yahoo.com