Great Horned Owl Menu

BirdNote^®

Great Horned Owl Menu

Written by Bob Sundstrom

This is BirdNote.
 [Great Horned Owl hooting]
 For an animal out and about at night, these patterned hoots can mean only one thing. [Great Horned Owl hooting] A fearsome Great Horned Owl lurks nearby.
 The Great Horned Owl, nearly two feet tall and weighing three pounds, ranks among the largest owls. From the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego, it reigns supreme among nighttime bird predators. Deadly hunters, Great Horned Owls stalk their prey from perches, or while gliding on silent wings, or even while walking on the ground.
[Great Horned Owl hooting]
 What do they eat? We might better ask: What don’t they eat!? Their prey ranges in size from crickets to turkeys. Great Horned Owls take skunks, marmots, muskrats, and house cats. Mink and jack rabbits are on the menu, as is the occasional porcupine. Ducks, crows, grouse, and pheasants make the list, as do squirrels, weasels, and bats. Not to mention snakes, frogs, toads, and even small alligators. Tasty snacks include centipedes, scorpions, crabs, and spiders.
 Some Great Horned Owls will even wade in a stream to catch fish!
So be forewarned, creatures of the night. Hungry eyes may be watching you (in a scary voice). [Great Horned Owl hooting]
 If you’d like to get advance notice of BirdNote shows or receive BirdNote by podcast, you can sign up at our website, birdnote.org. I’m Frank Corrado.
 [Great Horned Owl hooting]
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Call of the Great Horned Owl provided by The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York.  Recorded by W.R. Fish.
Producer: John Kessler
Executive Producer: Chris Peterson
© 2010 Tune In to Nature.org       August 2010

ID# GHOW-08-2008-08-29-KPLU GHOW-08

Prey data from: Eckert, Allan A. and Karl E Karalus. The Owls of North America. New York: Weathervane Books, 1987 edition.