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Great Horned Owls in the Neighborhood
Listen for these owls duetting, even in urban areas
© Mick Thompson
Not all owls live in the deep woods. Many Great Horned Owls make their homes in urban areas. Though mostly nocturnal, Great Horned Owls are also active early in the morning and just after sunset, offering a chance to see them hunting for rodents and other prey. Look for their distinctive horns, which are really just feather tufts. At night, you might hear their deep, syncopated hoots echoing through the neighborhood. Avoiding toxic rodenticides helps protect Great Horned Owls and other urban raptors.
BirdNote®
Great Horned Owls in the Neighborhood
Written by Conor Gearin
This is BirdNote.
[Great Horned Owl song, ML22874]
Not all owls live in the deep woods. Many Great Horned Owls make their homes in urban areas. They’re able to nest on ledges and platforms in cities as well as large trees.
[Great Horned Owl song, ML22874]
Though mostly nocturnal, Great Horned Owls are also active early in the morning and just after sunset, offering a chance to see them hunting for rodents and other prey. Look for their distinctive horns, which are really just feather tufts. At night, you might hear their deep, syncopated hoots echoing through the neighborhood.
[Great Horned Owl song, ML22874]
A female and male pair often join in a duet to begin their courtship. It’s a nighttime concert like no other.
[Great Horned Owl duet, ML90411691, 0:37-0:41]
These owls stay with a mate for several years, sometimes their whole lives. Fiercely territorial, they live in the same area year-round, a consistent force in the local ecosystem.
City owls are an effective form of pest control, catching rats and mice. Avoiding toxic rodenticides helps make sure that Great Horned Owls and other raptors stay safe while they’re hard at work.
[Great Horned Owl song, ML22874]
For BirdNote, I’m Ariana Remmel.
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Senior Producer: John Kessler
Producer: Mark Bramhill
Managing Editor: Jazzi Johnson
Managing Producer: Conor Gearin
Content Director: Jonese Franklin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Great Horned Owl ML22874 recorded by William R. Fish, and Great Horned Owl ML90411691 recorded by John Patterson.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2023 BirdNote August 2023
Narrator: Ariana Remmel
ID# GHOW-14-2023-08-09 GHOW-14
Reference:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Horned_Owl/overview
https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/grhowl/cur/introduction
Sights & Sounds
