Hello again everyone! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. I myself had an extra helping of mice last Thursday--delicious. At any rate, this is the final entry in the "Owl of the Week" series. After today, we will have covered every resident specie of owl in Colorado, and, with the exception of the Mexican Spotted Owl, all the owls the Humans take care of here at the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program. Well, let's get going on the final owl in the series: the Northern Pygmy Owl.
sdakotabirds.com Northern Pygmy Owl
These little owls are particularly interesting owls. Everything about them, from size to nesting habits, is a little different from most owls. For one thing, they're the smallest specie of owl in Colorado, and the second-smallest in the United States (second to the Elf Owl). They only stand a few inches tall, and weigh in at just 2-2.5 ounces, about as much as a slice of bread or ten quarters. But, like most of the small owls (and large owls, for that matter), they are much tougher and more aggressive than their body size implies, and are willing to take on prey much larger than they seem able to kill, such as quail. Smaller prey, however, is the norm, including small birds, rodents, and large juicy insects.
wildsonora.com Showing the false-eyes on the back of the head
Other key features of their appearance: there are three color morphs (red, grey and brown); their tails are proportionally long for an owl; their eyes are bright yellow; and there are two dark spots on the nape of the neck that look like false eyes.
They are also the only local specie of owl that is truly diurnal. Northern Pygmy Owls, therefore, are missing many of the adaptations common among other owls, such as silent flight, above-average hearing, and night vision.
Northern Pygmy Owls live in the western United States, southwestern Canada, and in Mexico south through Guatemala. Their preferred habitat is forest, ranging in elevation up to treeline. They spend the majority of their time in the thicketed areas of forests, where they hunt from perches and fly rapidly between trees for cover.
Northern Pygmy Owls are almost entirely dependent on woodpecker holes to build their nests. They live alone the majority of the year, only coming together during mating season. Unlike most owls, the female doesn't start incubating the eggs until they are all laid, which happens over the course of a week.
The Humans here at the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program just released a Northern Pygmy Owl earlier this week! This bird was found at an intersection in Fort Collins. The bird was largely uninjured, and had probably been caught in the wake of a car rather than actually being hit by a car. Either way, the bird needed awhile to recuperate under the RMRP's care before being safely released into more suitable habitat than a city intersection. Northern Pygmy Owls also are admitted to the RMRP after striking windows, or falling prey to domestic cats. But rest assured, the RMRP is here to help them!
Northern Pygmy Owl at the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program
Well, that's the end of the "Owl of the Week" series! I really hope you learned a lot from it. Remember to check out the original page to refresh yourself on all the reasons Owls Are Cool, and to find a list of all the owl species in Colorado with links to their profiles on this blog. As always, remember you can subscribe to this blog by using the little box in the right sidebar; comments and questions below or at my email address (talonsofdoom@gmail.com) are always welcome; the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program's official website is a great place to visit; our Facebook page is awesome; and you can follow me on Twitter with the name @RaptorProgram. And, finally, yet most importantly, if you support the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program and the life-saving work the Humans do for the raptors in the region, please support us by donating here. Thank you for all you do--we truly wouldn't be here without you!
I know I said last week that this week's owl would be the Saw-Whet Owl, but I was mistaken. If we continue in order of size, it's actually time for the Eastern Screech Owl. But don't worry, the Saw-Whet Owl will be along next week (really).
wildphotosphotography.com
The Eastern Screech Owl is one of the more common small owls in the Northern Colorado region. In fact, it's one of the more common small owls in the eastern United States. The northeastern corner of Colorado is one of the western-most points of their range (Montana and Texas also have population bands of these owls). West of here, the Eastern Screech Owl population fades into the Western Screech Owl population. I've never seen one myself, but I hear they're very similar in appearance. In fact, though there are ~23 species of Screech Owl (exclusive to the Americas), they all look remarkably similar.
Eastern Screech Owls are small, tufted owls that live in forested areas. Their feather patterns allow them to blend into trees easily. There are two color varieties of Eastern Screech Owls, referred to as 'morphs': the grey morph and the red morph. The red morphs make up ~1/3 of the population, but are far more common out east. Their ear tufts are sometimes held flat, and sometime held upright. As with the other tufted owls, these tufts help break up their silhouette so they can better blend into trees.
allaboutbirds.org
Being able to blend into trees so well, it makes sense that that's where they build their nests. Eastern Screech Owls are cavity nesters, building their nests in natural holes in tree trunks, or in the abandoned homes of other cavity-nesting birds. They readily use nest boxes, and have adapted well to suburban settings, so backyard nest boxes for these birds are quite common. If you do install a nest box in your yard and Eastern Screech Owls take up residence in it, please be careful about letting your dog or cat outside when the young are fledging: cat-caught or dog-chewed chicks are a sadly common sight at the RMRP in the springtime.
Being so small (only 6-10 inches long, with a wingspan just under 2 feet, and weighing half a pound at most), Eastern Screech Owls don't catch terribly large prey, but they might catch larger prey than you'd think. While small rodents and big insects are the most common, with a smattering of songbirds on the side, Eastern Screech Owls are quite capable of killing rabbits and grouse.
The Screech Owl actually doesn't make much of a screeching noise. Its common vocalizations can be heard at this website. Often times, because these birds are so small and camouflaged, the only way to find one is to hear it at night.
urbanhawks.blogs.com
The Rocky Mountain Raptor Program takes in more Eastern Screech Owls on an annual basis than other small owls. Part of this reason is the relative abundance of the owl, and part of the reason is their adaptation to urban and suburban settings. But despite their healthy populations and strong adaptability, they still run into their fair share of trouble. Many Eastern Screech Owls come in with head trauma and fractures from being hit by cars, and many come in as orphans in the spring and early summer. Other injuries include window strikes, barbed wire fence encounters, and being caught by a dog or cat. As with all the birds the RMRP sees, these birds receive the best possible care to get them back out to the wild for a second chance at freedom. If you would like to support the work the RMRP does, please click here to donate.
naturefriendmagazine.com
Thanks again for taking the time to read this blog of mine. I just checked the numbers, and page-views on reached 20,000 today! It was just six weeks ago that I was over-the-top excited about reaching 10,000 posts, so getting another 10,000 in such a short period of time has me surprised and thrilled. Tune in next week to learn about the Saw-Whet Owl. After that we'll only have a couple of owls species to look at, and then I'll need a new topic to focus on. If you have any ideas, shoot them my way in a comment or email (talonsofdoom@gmail.com). Just a reminder, you can follow me on Twitter @RaptorProgram, check us out on Facebook (Rocky Mountain Raptor Program), and find out more information and stories on our main website (which is brand new and shiny!). If you would like to subscribe to this blog, use the box in the toolbar to the right. Thanks for reading and supporting the RMRP!
Remember when I wrote about the characteristics of owls, and how some owls have ear tufts, and others don't? Well, here's the king of the tufted owls for you: the Long-Eared Owl. While it's apparent where the owl gets its name, keep in mind that the ear tufts are just feathers, not ears. However, this is one of those cool situations where the Long-Eared Owl, though named after its feather tufts, actually has long ears, too. Kind of. Owls don't have any external ear, so the ear is essentially a hole going into the head. With many raptors, this hole is small, about the size of a pea. In owls, the hole is larger. In Long-Eared Owls, the hole is massive. Check it out:
rspb.org.uk
Ears aside, the rest of the Long-Eared Owl is pretty awesome, too. They're smallish owls, only about a third of the size of me, so they weigh half a pound to one pound. They are rather tall and skinny for owls, and their tall profile topped with the tall ear tufts helps them blend into tree bark and branches.
Can you see the owl? (birdingbeijing.com)
One of my personal favorite things about Long-Eared Owls, including the educational ambassador Long-Eared Owl here at the RMRP, is their facial expression. Okay, it's not really an expression, it's just the way they look. Great Horned Owls like me always appear angry because of our markings and feathers, and Long-Eared Owls always look surprised. Surprised might not be right...perhaps appalled? You decide:
But make no mistake: despite their slightly giggle-inspiring miens, they are fierce and capable wild creatures. These birds are very adept at defending themselves and their nests in myriad ways, including posturing to make themselves look huge, acting injured to draw attention away from a nest, hissing and clacking the beak, and, of course, flying at their attacker feet-first. Their feet are relatively small, but the needle-like talons are plenty sharp and long enough to catch and kill their favorite prey: small rodents that recklessly leave the safety of their burrows at night.
ourlives-at-windandsea.info
Long-Eared Owls are widespread throughout the United States and southern Canada, as well as in Europe and parts of Asia. There are even a few pockets of Long-Eared Owls in East Africa. They live in forested and vegetated areas, and nest in the abandoned nests of other birds. Though not on any T&E lists, the Long-Eared Owl is subject to the same dangers that threaten all owls in populated areas: car strikes, poisoning, illegal shooting, entanglement in barbed wire, and more. The RMRP admits Long-Eared Owls infrequently, generally no more than one or two a year. Along with all birds that come through the doors, they receive the best care possible to help them get back out to the wild.
That's all I have for you this time. Tune in next week to learn about the Short-Eared Owl, the close cousin of the Long-Eared Owl. As always, you can email me with questions or comments at talonsofdoom@gmail.com, follow me on Twitter @RaptorProgram, check us out on Facebook (Rocky Mountain Raptor Program), and find out more information and stories on our main website (which is brand new and shiny!). If you would like to subscribe to this blog, use the box in the toolbar to the right. Thanks for reading and supporting the RMRP!
Next up in our owl series is the Common Barn Owl! Along with the Great Horned Owl, Common Barn Owls are the most commonly sighted owl in the region. When I go out to programs and exhibits with the Humans, I often overhear stories along the lines of, "I saw this HUGE owl the other day in my barn - what was it?" The answer is Common Barn Owl. However, they're not as big as they seem.
c Jerry Liguari utahbirds.org
Remember how I said Great Horned Owls weigh about 1.5-5.5 pounds? Well, the Common Barn Owl is the next largest owl commonly found in Colorado, and it weighs a mere 0.5-1.5 pounds. Yep, all that wingspan and majesty from a bird that weighs the same as a can of beans. But when it's flying silently toward your face when you enter an abandoned warehouse or a little-used barn, you probably don't care what it weighs, you just don't want it near your eyeballs. Barn Owls, however, are not aggressive birds, and they're merely trying to fly out of the barn to get away from you.
xmwallpapers.com
As the name implies, Common Barn Owls do spend a lot of time in barns. But before there were barns, where did they hang out? Barn Owls are cavity nesters, meaning that instead of building their nests in the sprawling and exposed branches of an oak or pine, they build their nests in tree cavities and hollows, as well as rock nooks and small caves. However, since barns and other Human-made features are so warm, cozy and protected, Barn Owls often opt to nest in barns, silos, warehouses, and church steeples. Barn Owls are also big fans of Human-made nesting boxes. Humans can install these nest boxes on their own properties and see if a pair of Barn Owls comes along to take up residence. Instructions for building your own box are easily found with an internet search. Humans often install Barn Owl boxes to lure Barn Owls to their property as a means of rodent/pest control, as shown in this PBS video.
One reason Barn Owls are so good at controlling rodent populations is that they're insatiable eaters. Catching and eating upwards of six vole-sized critters each night, they can really keep tight reins on the local population. Also, it's incredible how many pocket gophers they can fit into one stomach! Like most owls (including me), they generally swallow their food whole instead of ripping and tearing it like most other raptors do. And Barn Owls don't even blink when it comes to swallowing animals that seem impossibly large. Skip ahead to minute 3:30 in the video below to see what I mean.
The eating pace doesn't slow down at all when there are chicks in the nest, either. Barn Owls lay between four and seven eggs, so that's a lot of mouths to feed when they all hatch. And do they eat smaller, more appropriately sized food? No way. They eat just like mom and dad. It's unreal.
Baby Barn Owls with a feather-duster "mom" at the RMRP
Baby Barn Owls are a little goofy looking. Many Humans think they're adorable, while others think they look like alien pterodactyls. They certainly don't look much like their adult versions until they're many weeks along. Adult Barn Owls, on the other wing, are simply stunning birds. They're in the non-tufted class of owls, meaning they don't have ear tufts like I do. They still have extremely prominent facial discs, however, which is largely responsible for their success as hunters. Females of the species have slightly duskier coloration, with more brown on their faces and chests, while males are more of the snowy-white variety. This often leads to people thinking Barn Owls and Snowy Owls are the same thing, but as you can see in this picture, they're very dissimilar. For the record, Harry Potter had a Snowy Owl, not a Barn Owl.
Snowy Owl on the left, Common Barn Owl on the right
The Common Barn Owl, while obviously not common in appearance or behavior, is called "common" because of its wide range. Barn Owls are found on every continent except Antarctica, and within each continent they inhabit every imaginable ecosystem. Because of their extensive range, Barn Owls have numerous variations and subspecies, between twenty and thirty depending on who you ask. Tyto alba is the Latin name for Common Barn Owls, and the variation in North America is Tyto alba pratincola. Something kind of cool about their Latin name is that the word "tyto" is a Greek onomatopoeia meaning "owl"; "tyto" mimics the classic owl sound, like the English word "hoot".
Educational female Barn Owl foster mom guarding her charge
Barn Owls used to face a lot of intentional persecution as a species. One likely reason for this is the owl's ghostly appearance: with the white plumage, silent flight, and a knack for flying out of barns at Humans, they earned a reputation of evil associated with ghosts and death. This is reflected in their other common names, which include Demon Owl, Ghost Owl and Death Owl. Fortunately, as education about Barn Owls spreads, they're facing less and less intentional persecution. However, like all raptors, they still face threats from the usual suspects: power lines, poisoning, car strikes, and more. Habitat loss has led to the Barn Owl being listed as an endangered species in seven Midwestern states.
Educational Ambassador for the RMRP, male Barn Owl
At the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program, injured Barn Owls are admitted with all the above injuries and more. Another common way for Barn Owls to come to the RMRP is via orphaning. While their nest sites are often excellent cavities, they're not always stable or well-located homes. Nests in hay bales, under trucks, in rafters, and in the walls of buildings are accidentally knocked down each spring, leading to entire nests' worth of baby owls coming to the RMRP to be raised by our resident foster parents.
So, there you have it, the uncommon Barn Owl. Stay tuned next week for a profile on the Mexican Spotted Owl. As always, you can email me with questions or comments at talonsofdoom@gmail.com, follow me on Twitter @RaptorProgram, check us out on Facebook (Rocky Mountain Raptor Program), and find out more information and stories on our main website. If you would like to subscribe to this blog, use the box in the toolbar to the right.
We appreciate your support of the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program in helping us keep raptor populations strong and safe! We're always seeking donations to help us continue our mission of rehabilitation, education and research. Thank you!
