Think about you might be strolling by means of a woodland on a crispy autumn night: the leaves are crunching beneath your boots, there’s a chill within the air, and the solar has simply begun to set. You hear a particular name within the distance that goes one thing like hoo hoo hoo-hoo-hoo hooooo.
What is perhaps making that sound? None apart from the owl of storybooks, the Nice Horned Owl.
With its tufts of feathers that resemble ears and its massive stature, the Nice Horned Owl is probably essentially the most iconic owl species of Southern California and throughout the Americas. These very massive owls can occupy all kinds of habitats together with woodlands, open grasslands, riparian areas, and even thrive in our city setting, making them essentially the most generally sighted owl within the metropolis. They’re nocturnal predators, doing the majority of their searching at nighttime, however if you’re hoping to catch an owl on the hunt, in addition they hunt at daybreak and nightfall. They’re generalist predators, catching prey that vary in measurement from massive ones reminiscent of different raptors to smaller ones reminiscent of scorpions and frogs. Their favourite meals, nevertheless, are small mammals like rabbits, rodents, and gophers. Like different owl species, they can detect sound waves that bounce off their disk-shaped face with their asymmetrical ears, permitting them to pinpoint the precise location of the pattering footsteps of a mouse.
Nice Horned Owls’ courtship rituals start a lot earlier within the yr than different hen species. When autumn comes round, males will start establishing their very own territories earlier than calling out looking for mates. Females who’re drawn to their calls will reply. Then, if the couple pairs off, they’ll have interaction in an elaborate dance that entails calls, tail-bouncing and head-jerking.
As soon as paired off, the owls mate for all times. Nice Horned Owls infamously will steal nests of different birds fairly than make their very own. They’ll typically scout a big nest, reminiscent of a hawk or raven nest, then take over. After laying eggs, incubation can final for 30 to 37 days. In about 2 –5 weeks, the owlets will start to stray away from the nest and after about 10 weeks, they’ll fledge. Throughout this time, they take a whole lot of notes from their mother and father on how one can hunt and survive.
Due to their unimaginable adaptability, Nice Horned Owls are unfold throughout continents. Nonetheless, they nonetheless face threats to their well-being, particularly in city environments like Los Angeles. Rising urbanization and shrinking habitats implies that territorial males who want their very own vary are experiencing extra intraspecies battle. The continued use of rodenticide poisons owls and their younger. Constructing and automotive strikes proceed to pose a menace. Regardless of these challenges, there are nonetheless some issues you are able to do to assist defend owls in your space, like avoiding using rodenticides. If you wish to add Nice Horned Owls to your life listing, an excellent tip to search out them is to have a look at the tops of tall timber reminiscent of Sycamores, Pines, or Eucalyptus throughout daybreak and nightfall. And naturally, hear for his or her iconic name.
If you happen to do select to go owling to see these magnificent creatures, bear in mind to observe some moral owling tricks to assist our feathered buddies:
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Keep away from playback of hen calls, particularly throughout breeding season.
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Don’t shine lights on the owls.
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Don’t use rodenticides.
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Flip off out of doors lights when not in use.
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Maintain a long way from owls, particularly from nests.
Assist proceed to guard these great and iconic raptors this Owl-o-Ween!
This articles was written as a part of Audubon Middle at Debs Park’s Fall 2025 Completely satisfied Owl-o-Ween publication.
