Owl Facts

Question 1

Eastern Screech Owl Appearance

Answer 1

Eastern Screech-Owls are short and stocky with a large head and almost no neck. Their wings are rounded and their tail is short and square. Pointed ear tufts are often raised, giving them a distinctive silhouette. Eastern Screech-Owls come in two color phases: gray or reddish-brown. Their color and their patterned feathers make them excellent at camouflaging.

Question 2

Eastern Screech Owl weight

Answer 2

5-8 oz, (<1/2lb)

Question 3

Eastern Screech Owl Habitat

Answer 3

This owl is fairly common in most types of woods (evergreen or deciduous; urban or rural), particularly near water. They like to hide in nooks of trees throughout the day.

Question 4

Eastern Screech Owl Diet

Answer 4

Consists of mainly mice and large insects, but they will also feed on other small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds. They will hunt large prey for their size such as jays, grouse, doves, shorebirds, and woodpeckers.

Question 5

Eastern Screech Owl behavior

Answer 5

When disturbed or frightened these birds assume a very erect, slender, “frozen” position with the feather tuffs on their head standing straight up to mimic bark on a tree. When hunting, Eastern Screech-Owls mainly fly but will sometimes hop and walk on the ground when chasing prey.

Question 6

Screech Owl voice fun fact

Answer 6

Despite the name, screech-owls rarely screech. Their song consists of whinnies and soft trills.

Question 7

Barn Owl Appearance

Answer 7

These medium-sized owls have long, rounded wings and short tails. Barn Owls have long legs and a smoothly rounded head, without ear tufts. They are pale overall with dark eyes. They have a mix of tan and gray on the head, back, and upper wings, and are white on the face, body, and underwings.

Question 8

Barn Owl weight

Answer 8

1-1.5lbs

Question 9

Barn Owl Habitat

Answer 9

Barn Owls depend on open grassland over which to hunt. Because of the way Ohio is farmed, however, there is little of this kind of habitat in Ohio. Barn Owls also live in deserts, marshes, strips of forest, and brushy fields. They roost in barns, caves, cavities of trees, and abandoned buildings.

Want approx. 25 acres of grassland for it to be ideal.

Question 10

Barn Owl diet

Answer 10

The Barn Owl’s main source of food is the meadow vole. They will also eat small mammals such as rats and mice and occasionally birds such a starlings and blackbirds.

Question 11

Barn Owl behavior

Answer 11

Barn Owls fly slowly over open fields at night or dusk and use their impressive hearing to locate prey in the grass. Aided by their disk-shaped faces, Barn Owls can hear so well that they can locate prey in complete darkness. Barn Owls do not hoot. Instead, they make a long, harsh scream.

Question 12

Barn Owl fun facts: face and ecology

Answer 12

Barn Owls are threatened in Ohio due to loss of habitat and food source. Barn Owls hunt mainly in open fields and meadows, which Ohio has lost a lot of due to its farming practices. Few grassy meadows means few meadow voles, and few meadow voles means few Barn Owls. Also, the Barn Owl’s nickname is the “sweetheart” owl because the owl’s facial disk is heart-shaped.

Question 13

Barn Owls at the Sanctuary

Answer 13

Monty!

Question 14

Barred Owl Appearance

Answer 14

Barred Owls are large, stocky owls with rounded heads, no ear tufts, and medium length, rounded tails. Underparts are marked mostly with vertical brown bars, while the upper breast is crossed with horizontal brown bars. The wings and tail are barred brown and white.

Question 15

Barred Owl weight

Answer 15

1.4-1.8lbs

Question 16

Barred Owl Habitat

Answer 16

Barred Owls live in large, mature forests made up of both deciduous trees and evergreens. They often live near water. Barred Owls nest in tree cavities. They do not migrate and rarely move around very much.

Question 17

Barred Owl diet

Answer 17

Barred Owls eat many kinds of small animals, including squirrels, chipmunks, mice, voles, rabbits, birds (up to the size of grouse), amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates.

Question 18

Barred Owl behavior

Answer 18

Barred Owls roost quietly in forest trees during the day, though they can be heard calling in daylight hours. At night, they hunt small animals such as rodents and amphibians. They hunt by sitting and waiting on an elevated perch and scanning all around for prey with their sharp eyes and ears. Though they do most of their hunting right after sunset and during the night, sometimes they feed during the day.

Question 19

Barred Owl calls fun fact

Answer 19

Barred Owls are highly vocal with a wide range of calls. They are much more likely than other owl species to be heard in the daytime. Its most common hooting call, “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?” is a classic sound of old forests and swamps. Also often heard is a loud, drawn-out “hoo-waaah” that gradually fades away. Often a chorus of two or more owls will call back and forth with these and other calls. (Wild Barred Owls can be heard sitting in the trees above Apollo’s cage as they talk back and forth with him.)

Question 20

Barred Owls at the sanctuary

Answer 20

Apollo, Maple, and Marshall

Question 21

Great Horned Owl Appearance

Answer 21

The Great Horned Owl is the largest of Ohio’s resident owls and the largest “eared” owl in North America. They are large, thick-bodied owls with two prominent feathered tufts on the head. The wings are broad and rounded. Great Horned Owls are mottled gray-brown with the feather color variation giving the impression of bars. They have reddish brown faces and a white patch on the throat.

Question 22

Great Horned Owl weight

Answer 22

approx. 3lbs

Question 23

Great Horned Owl habitat

Answer 23

The broad range of habitats they use includes deciduous and evergreen forests, swamps, desert, tundra edges, and tropical rainforest, as well as cities, orchards, suburbs, and parks. Look for this owl in woods, particularly young woods interspersed with fields or other open areas.

Question 24

Great Horned Owl diet

Answer 24

Great Horned Owls are fierce predators that can take down birds and mammals even larger than itself. They also eat much smaller items such as rodents, frogs, and scorpions. The Great Horned Owl’s favorite food is skunk.

Question 25

Great Horned Owl behavior

Answer 25

Great Horned Owls, like most owls, are nocturnal. You may see them at dusk sitting on fence posts or tree limbs at the edges of open areas, or flying across roads or fields. Their call is a deep, stuttering series of four to five hoots. They will defend their territories with vigorous hooting, especially in the winter before egg-laying and in the fall when their young leave the area. Great Horned Owls respond to intruders and other threats with bill-clapping, hisses, screams, and guttural noises, eventually spreading their wings and striking with their feet if the threat escalates. They may even kill other members of their own species.

Question 26

Great Horned Owl Talons fun fact

Answer 26

When clenched, a Great Horned Owl’s strong talons have the ability to exert a force of up to 500psi. Once the talons sink through the prey’s back, most prey are killed instantly. They use this deadly grip to sever the spine of large prey.