This week for Flora and Fauna Friday we have the haunting horned Hoot-Owl: the Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus).
The Great Horned Owl is our largest Owl and found in nearly every nook and cranny of the continental United States. This Owl is tall and stocky with a finely mottled plumage of grays, white, and rust. Large sulfur-yellow eyes are set wide and forward facing on a broad face bearing a disdainful to disinterested expression. From its temples arise its namesake horns, black and rounded tufts of feathers our Owl can raise or lower like eyebrows. On the other end of the Owl are fluffy feet bearing savagely hooked talons.
Of our four resident owl species, each has an analogue in the diurnal Falconiform raptors (Eagles, Hawks, and Falcons). The Barred Owl is but a subtler sunset Red-shouldered Hawk. The Barn Owl is a stockier and more horrifying Harrier. The Screech Owl is like a shrunken screaming Sharp-shinned Hawk. The Great Horned Owl is a merciless Eagle. They are the apex predator of the night sky. When the curtains of twilight draw shut, they wield air superiority like a silent surgical sledgehammer.
All our Owls have impressive night vision and exceptional hearing. They also have the power of silent flight, owing to serrated flight feathers that soften their swooping sounds. Great Horned Owls use these talents to hunt anything they please. Even birds bigger than themselves. Great Horned Owls hunt in a similar manner to Eagles. They use their considerable mass, wicked claws, and enhanced perception to tackle prey by surprise. The impact cripples and confuses prey, swiftly dissolving their defenses and leaving them open to a killing blow. A good chunk of the Great Horned Owl’s winter diet comes from wading birds and waterfowl. Ducks are a nutritious and delicious compact meal. Although plentiful, they are often hard to get a hold on. Wading Birds on the other hand are easy pickings but mostly bone and feather. Their lanky frame and slow flight makes them easy targets. Great Egrets are a special favorite here in the Lowcountry. Their habit of roosting over water in tree canopies and their bright white plumage makes them glow in the slightest moonlight. Great Horned Owls are also notorious for raiding bird nests and will snatch fledgling chicks, even Ospreys and Eagles, straight from under the beaks of their parents. Great Horned Owl pairs even make a hobby of stealing Bald Eagle nests for their own use. Throughout winter, breeding pairs will talk to each other with a short sentence of soft echoing hoots.
