Great Horned Owls Flashcards
How far can an owl turn his/her head?
270°
Why do GHO’s have such big eyes?
The great horned owl’s eyes, just slightly smaller than the eyes of a human being, are large even for an owl and rank proportionately among the largest eyes of all terrestrial vertebrates.[34] The great horned owl has cylindrical eyes which creates more distance from the lens of the eye to the retina, which allows it to act more like a telephoto lens for farther distance sight compared to that possible from round eyes.[35] They are visually highly adapted for nocturnal hunting and provide a wide, almost completely binocular field of view, a large corneal surface and a predominantly rod retina.
If we had eyes of the same proportions, our eyes would be as large as oranges.
What helps give owls silent flight?
Extra soft feathers and a comb like structure on the leading edge of the flight feathers which baffles the air.
They also have soft feathers all the way down their legs and feet to the talons.
Where do GHO’s live?
Their native range is throughout North, Central, and South America.
What is the scientific name for GHO’s?
Bubo virginianus
What is the nickname for GHO’s?
GHO’s are also known as the tiger owl (originally derived from early naturalists’ description as the winged tiger or tiger of the sky. Also sometimes called the hoot owl.
What do GHO’s eat?
It’s primary diet includes rabbits, hares, rats, mice, and voles, although it will freely hunts any animal it can overtake, including rodents and other small mammals, larger mid-sized mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates.
Skunks are included in their diet.
What is the life span of a GHO?
Great horned owls seem to be the longest lived owl in North America, with an average life span of 13 years. Captive owls live approximately twice as long as their wild counterparts
Oldest wild GHO was almost 29 years old.
Oldest captive great horned owl lived to be 50 years old.
How many eggs do GHO’s lay?
Usually 2 eggs per clutch, but may range in size from 1 to 6 eggs (over 3 is uncommon, over 4 is very rare),
What is Darwin’s story?
What is Hedwig’s story?
What is Maggie’s story?
What is Snicker’s story?
What is Ada’s story?
What is Lucien’s story?
