Owl Prowls Are Filling Fast

Fall has arrived at World Bird Sanctuary, which means the start of Owl Prowl season.  Owl Prowls run from November through March on select Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

One of many European Barn Owls at the World Bird Sanctuary (photo: Cathy Spahn)

What is an Owl Prowl you ask?  The Owl Prowls start at 7 pm in our Nature Center with about a 1 hour program all about some of the owls of the world.  Some of them will even fly right over your head.  After that we take you for a short walk on our property to try to call in a wild owl.  Also during November and early December we will take you to our bird-banding field station to learn about a study we are doing on Saw-whet Owls.

Do you love owls?  Owls Prowls are a great way to learn more about these fascinating creatures of the night.  We also have a small gift shop where you can find lots of Owl merchandise for kids of all ages.

Xena, a member of the world's largest owl species (photo: Gay Schroer)

Do you know what the largest species of Owl is in the world?  Even better, you’ll have that bird fly right over the tops of your heads.  If you’ve guessed the Eurasian Eagle Owl, you’re right.

Minerva the Common Barn Owl demonstrates some of her head-turning ability (photo: Gay Schroer)

Learn which owl is known as the ghost owl and has the best hearing of any bird in the world. 

Ever wonder just how far an owl can turn its head or what makes them fly silently?

Have a scout group that you are looking to do something different with?  Have them join an Owl Prowl.  It’s not only fun, but it’s educational.

Are you an adult that would love to join us, but would prefer an “adults only” night out?  We have special “adults only” nights for the “kid at heart”.  Have a small group that just wants to do something different?  Come out and join us for a fun evening with owls. 

Call now to make your reservations.  Reservations are required.

Cost - $15 per adult; $10 per child under 12.

  Friends of World Bird Sanctuary receive a 10% discount.

Groups of ten or more: $10 per person, regardless of age.

To make your reservation call 636-225-4390, Ext. 101

Submitted by Cathy Spahn, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

Whooo''s Who?

With the advent of Fall leaf color, Thanksgiving pumpkins, and cold crisp weather, love is in the air here in Missouri—at least it is if you’re an owl!

If you happen to be outdoors in the evening or late at night you may hear an owl calling.  At this time of the year our feathered creatures of the night are busy claiming a territory, and soon will be advertising for a mate. 

In our last blog we posed a little owl quiz with links to some audio bites of owl calls to test your knowledge.  Here are the answers to our quiz, as well as a few facts about each of those fascinating creatures.

Each of the photos is of a resident of the World Bird Sanctuary and represents his or her species.

Owl photo collage: Gay Schroer

Photo #1 is Timber the Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio)

Photo #2 is Jake the Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)

Photo #3 is Goblin the Common Barn Owl (Tyto alba)

Photo #4 is Xena the Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo)

Photo #5 is Olaf the Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus)

Photo #6 is Buzz the Tawny Owl (Strix aluco)

Photo #7 is Jersey the Barred Owl  (Strix varia)

Photo #8 is Mia the Spectacled Owl  (Pulsatrix perspicillata)

Now for the answers to our quiz:

Jersey the Barred Owl (photo: Gay Schroer)

A.            This owl’s call seems to be concerned about your dinner.  Photo #7 – Jersey the Barred Owl.  This bird’s call is said to sound like “Who, who, who cooks for-you” “Who, who, who cooks for-you-all”.  Barred owls are one of the most common owls in the Eastern U.S.  This bird is often locally referred to as a “hoot” owl.

Goblin a Common Barn Owl (photo: Gay Schroer)

B.            No wimpy hooting for this bird—it communicates with a high-pitched hissing scream.  This would be #3.  Pictured is Goblin the Common Barn Owl.  Did you know that Barn Owls are found on every continent except Antarctica?  Barn Owls have been on the endangered list here in Missouri due to habitat loss.  For a number of years WBS has been at the forefront of an effort to release captive bred Barn Owls back into the wild to bolster declining populations.

Timber, an Eastern Screech Owl (photo: Gay Schroer)

C.            Don’t let this bird’s sweet trilling call fool you—it’s a fierce little predator.  This would be #1.  Pictured here is Timber the Eastern Screech Owl. Eastern Screech Owls are generally seen in two color phases—red and grey, although there are occasionally intermediate brown shades of these two colors.  Their call is a mellow muted trill—no hooting for this bird.

Olaf, a Saw-whet Owl (photo: Gay Schroer)

D.            This owl’s call is a monotonous “hoop-hoop-hoop”, but its volume belies its diminutive size!  #5 - The Northern Saw-whet Owl has a surprisingly loud call for such a small bird.  Pictured is Olaf, a World Bird Sanctuary resident bird. When prey is plentiful, a Saw-whet Owl will kill as many as 6 mice in rapid succession, without consuming any of them. The excess food is cached in safe places and, in winter, is thawed out later by "brooding" the frozen carcass. When food is plentiful, it is common for only the head of each prey item to be eaten.

Jake, a resident Great Horned Owl (photo: Gay Schroer)

E.            The male of this species calls with a low-pitched monotone “ho ho-ho hoo hoo”, and is answered with a higher pitched “girly” version of the same call.  This would be #2, the Great-horned Owl.  Pictured is Jake, a WBS resident owl.  A Great Horned Owl is powerful enough to take prey two to three times heavier than itself.  Longevity is up to 13 years in the wild and as much as 29 to 38 years in captivity.

Mia, our beautiful Spectacled Owl (photo: Gay Schroer)

F.            This owl’s vocalization sounds like a knocking or tapping, “Pup-pup-pup-pup-o” issued in a rising crescendo.  (Hint – This owl is not native to the U.S., but you may have heard it if you’ve been to the World Bird Sanctuary’s weathering area lately.)  #8 is Mia the Spectacled Owl, and she can usually be found in the weathering area behind the WBS’s Nature Center building.  This owl hales from Mexico, Central and South America, most frequently found in dense tropical rain forests.  Once fledged, at about 5-6 weeks, the chicks depend on the parents for up to a year.

Buzz, a Tawny Owl (photo: Gay Schroer)

G.            This owl was the inspiration for the owl in the Winnie the Pooh tales and is the most common owl in Europe—especially in England.  #6 – The Eurasian Tawny Owl will usually nest in tree holes or nest boxes in trees, and pair bonds last for life.  Even though these owls are small they will defend their nest aggressively, even attacking humans on occasion if they perceive them as a threat to the nest.

Xena, everyone's favorite Eurasian Eagle Owl (photo: Gay Schroer)

H.            This owl issues a long, booming “oo-hooh”, and may even bark and growl if it feels threatened.  This would be #4 – the Eurasian Eagle Owl.  Pictured is Xena, one of our most popular resident birds.  This largest owl species eats mainly voles and rats, but has been known to take prey as large as a Roe Deer fawn.  They nest on cliff ledges, crevices between rocks, and cave entrances, although they are not above using abandoned nests of large birds. 

To meet some of these fascinating creatures, join us for an OWL PROWL  For information on WBS Owl Prowls Click Here or call 636-225-4390, Ext. 101.

Submitted by Gay Schroer, World Bird Sanctuary Volunteer

Bogart Courts Trina

Bogart the Eurasian Eagle Owl was hatched and raised at the World Bird Sanctuary.

Bogart the Eurasian Eagle Owl (photo: Gay Schroer)

Watch our YouTube video  as he displays his hunting prowess for Naturalist Trina Whitener by showing her his “prize” – a rat that he was given for his meal.  In the wild this is how he would court a female Eagle Owl.

As with all of our resident animals, Bogart is available for adoption in our Adopt A Bird Program.  To find out more about this program Click Here. 

Submitted by Gay Schroer, World Bird Sanctuary Volunteer/Photographer

Video by Trina Whitener, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

Bill Size and Shape

One of my favorite things to do, during migration season is to identify birds.  Many aspects of bird watching combine to make this the world’s number one hobby; the hunt through the binoculars for that wind-blown leaf you thought was a bird;  the sudden realization that you’re facing the wrong direction in a valley; following a song for an entire afternoon just to get a glimpse of that fellow who sings his heart out. 

When I do finally see that special bird, I have to take quick mental notes on size, color, foot type (if I see a bird feeding), bill type, and behaviors.  Although behavior is a really big part of identification, I enjoy using bill type as a guide for those really tough ones.  This is especially true when you consider that many species depend mostly on a specific food for survival.  Whether it feeds on seeds, insects, nectar, or other animals, its bill will be specially adapted for feeding.

Members of the parrot family have beaks that are designed for gripping and cracking seeds and nuts.  (photo: Leigh French)

Seedeaters need to have a bill that is strong enough to crack through the thick hard hulls to get to the meaty fruit inside.  Their bills are often thick and arrow shaped having hard ridges to aide in grip, like a wrench.  Parrots are a great example of this.  Their bills are very thick and their upper mandible has serrations on its underside, out near the tip, so that they can grip nuts and crack them.  Also, cardinals have a thick, strong bill for smaller seeds.

Shorebirds are a wonderful example of diversity within a habitat.  Gulls and terns have bills adapted for fishing.  They dive into the water from the air or from floating on the water. 

Roseate Spoonbills have a bill shaped for shoveling around in the lake bottom debris for their food. (photo: Gay Schroer)

Some Ducks and wading birds have a specialized bill for shoveling around in the water for invertebrates. 

This Scarlet Ibis has a very specialized beak for probing for food in soft mud and under plants (photo: Gay Schroer)

Birds like the sandpipers, oystercatchers, godwits, turnstones, and plovers have bills that are shaped for finding invertebrates that have tunneled into the sand or mud.  Their bill is sort of shaped like the prey for which they forage. 

Herons and egrets use their bill as a spear.

This Great Blue Heron uses his bill as a spear and then swallows the fish whole (photo: Gay Schroer

…whereas this Yellow-crowned Night Heron snatches his preferred diet of crayfish with his long pointed bill

…and then turns it, pinchers side out, and crushes it with the powerful upper portion of his bill before swallowing it

Moving away from the shore, there are other smaller birds that flit about after tiny gnats and flies.  These birds have small bills and are a bit more difficult to identify because they are usually small and fast.  These are typically gnatcatchers and flycatchers. 

Prothonotary Warblers have small thin bills for catching insects and snails which they pry out of their hiding places

Ruby-crowned Kinglets are such tiny little birds and they are the most difficult for me to see clearly.  That’s when I listen to any calls or songs they may be making.  Woodpeckers have a bill that is like a chisel.  They bang away at trees looking for insects crawling under the bark and inside the wood.

Finally, I think crows and ravens are a good transition into birds of prey.  They are very adept and intelligent.  They hammer and poke and tear and pull their food.

Meat eaters are probably more diverse because they may feed on certain animals based on their habitat.  Owls, hawks, and eagles have bills that are great for tearing meat.

The Eurasian Eagle Owl has a beak that is supremely well adapted for tearing meat (photo: Gay Schroer)

So, when you are having trouble narrowing down that bird species, perhaps you can get a good look at the bill to figure out a bit about it.

The next time you visit the World Bird Sanctuary, pay particular attention to the different beak shapes that you will see on our display birds and the birds that visit our bird feeders.  Try to guess what each bird’s preferred food would be.

Submitted by W. Leigh French, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

Avian Senses Part One - Vision

Eyesight in birds is the most developed of all their senses. 

Some species have the ability to capture an entire scene in one look as opposed to putting it together one section at a time as we humans must.  This is called wide-angle vision. 

Notice the placement of the eyes on the far side of the head on this Northern Mockingbird (photo: Gay Schroer)

The eyes of birds vary in shape and can be flat, round or tubular, unlike human eyes, which are uniformly round. The avian eyes fill the orbit completely and are in most cases placed on the sides of the head (usually seen in birds that can be a prey species).  Because of this, these birds see better to the side.  This is the reason that, upon observation, you see birds rapidly bob or turn their head from side to side when looking at an object.  Bobbing the head allows them to compensate by seeing objects from two different angles.  Depth perception should seemingly be limited due to this monocular vision, but since birds move so much faster than most of earth’s animals, they must have excellent depth perception to land smoothly on any perch, avoid obstacles, and catch the items they eat. 

The Eurasian Eagle Owls uses its forward facing eyes to zero in on prey (photo: Gay Schroer)

Not all birds see in a monocular fashion, though.  Some birds use monocular vision for near nearsightedness and forward binocular viewing for farsightedness.  The forward facing alignment of the eyes is common to most predators, especially the owls.

Conversely, humans have strictly binocular vision.  Because our eyes face forward, we are able to use them together to focus on objects. 

The sclerotic ring is made up of small bones that are called ossicles.  There are two banded muscles called Crampton's and Brucke's, that are attached to the ossicles and are used for focusing. The sclerotic ring is what forces the lens into positions that allow for very fast and precise visual acuity, whether the subject is near or far.  Birds have voluntary, or manual control over the rings, just as we can move our fingers and toes when we think about it.

Diagram of the avian eye (photo: wikipedia files)

 The Crampton's muscle adjusts the curvature of the lens and thus controls the way the light bends as it enters the eye. 

 

The Brucke's muscle controls the shape of the lens.  This process is similar to using a pair of binoculars.  Think of looking through the lens and the image being blurred.  As you turn the focusing mechanism, the image becomes either clearer or more blurred.

Cones and rods (named from their actual shapes) are types of photoreceptors, located on the retina at the back of the eye, that allow animals to see light and color. Rods are sensitive to light, but they only create coarse gray images.  Cones are sensitive to color and allow for detail.  The large number of cones in the avian eye enables birds to form very sharp images.

The next time you visit the World Bird Sanctuary be sure to pay special attention to the differences between the eyes of the birds that visit our feeders (prey birds) and the raptors (birds of prey…predators) in our exhibits.

More to come on the topic of avian vision next month.

Submitted by Leigh French, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

Audience Questions

“You have the coolest job.”  “I want to be just like you when I get bigger.”  “You must love coming to work every day.”  “I love seeing the birds!”  These are just a few of the comments World Bird Sanctuary bird show presenters hear every day.  And I must tell you, it never gets old!

Cupid the American Barn Owl flying into trainer's glove - photo by Lisa McCabe

However, there is something even better than compliments.  And what’s that, you may ask?  The questions!  From my two years’ experience working with birds at World Bird Sanctuary’s Milwaukee County Zoo bird show and five years of working in a zoo, I have found that questions from the general public about animals can be broken up into 3 categories.

 

Buford the Bald Eagle out in the public display area - photo by Erica Fenske

General Animal Questions.  These common questions are usually about age, species, or name.  Every once in a while though you get the really good ones--the ones that challenge you as a trainer.  With only two years under my belt, I get challenged every day.  But the wonderful thing about being challenged is that it gives me an excuse to ask even more questions!  If someone asks me how many feathers are on a bird’s head, I ask my supervisor how many are on their entire body.  If someone asks what a bird eats, I ask specifically what species.  No matter how much I learn there is always something more to learn!  I ask questions every single day and as much as I can to improve myself, so I can improve how I do my job.

How Can You Do This?  As weird as it sounds, I enjoy answering these.  No matter which species you work with, you sometimes get a “non-zoo person” who can’t fathom the idea of animals in captivity and find our career choices as “wrong.”  You can’t help but be frustrated at first, but that is why we do what we do.  Having the animals on display only fulfills part of their duties as ambassadors of their species.  We are here to fulfill the other half by explaining to people how they are doing it.  No, we don’t take perfectly healthy animals out of the wild.  No, they are not miserable.  Yes we take the best care possible of them and give them the best lives they could ever imagine.  Explaining these concepts, one person at a time, makes me feel like I am making a difference in the world.  And, hopefully if we educate enough people, we can help animals everywhere.

Scarlett the Red Shouldered Hawk - photo by Erica Fenske

How Do I Get a Job Like This?  Now THIS is my favorite question.  I love when children/young adults ask me this question because I wish I had asked it more myself when I was their age!  It shows that people care and more people out there want to serve our purpose--to educate the world about these amazing and beautiful creatures.  By now I have my basic response--get a science related college degree, do lots of volunteer/internship work, and most of all, have lots of determination.  Even though it is such a basic response, no one ever walks away looking discouraged, and that is the best feeling in the WORLD!  Yes, flying a Bald Eagle is a pretty amazing feeling, but knowing I might have just inspired someone to help eagles fly longer in the wild is a much cooler feeling!

So all in all, always ask questions.  And if you don’t know the answer, ask even more questions.  Questions are limitless and no one should ever stop asking!  A very wise teacher once told me that, “Any day that you don’t learn something new is a wasted day.”

Submitted by Erica Fenske, World Bird Sanctuary Seasonal Zoo Show Staff Member

Xena--A Most Impressive Bird

The next bird that I want to introduce to you is such a wonderful animal that I am positive that you will fall in love with her just as I did.  Her name is Xena and she is a Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo).

Xena is a favorite with guests because of her regal bearing and piercing eyes

Eurasian Eagle Owls are native to Europe, Asia, and Northeast Africa.  They live in mostly wooded habitats like coniferous forests, farmlands, grasslands, and even some deserts.  Of the 287 owl species in the world, Eurasian Eagle Owls are the largest!

Depending if it’s a male or female, they stand from two to two and a half feet tall and weigh from four to seven pounds.  Their wingspan ranges from five to seven feet!  As in most birds of prey, females are about a third larger than males.  This is believed to be because greater size can help them better defend their clutch (a group of eggs or chicks) and nest and to also incubate the clutch better with increased surface area of the body. 

Their diet is variable and consists of mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians, and sometimes fish.  The largest animal they have been known to prey upon is small roe deer, which are about 30 pounds in weight!  They of course could not pick up a 30 pound deer and fly away with it.  A good rule of thumb is that usually a bird of prey can pick up a third of its own body weight.  Eagle owls have large orange eyes, disks of feathers around each eye, feather tufts on top of their head, black and various shades of brown feathers covering their body, eight sharp talons, and a sharp curved upper beak. 

Take a look at Xena in the photo above, isn’t she just beautiful?  Do you notice the feather tufts on her head? They may look similar to the tufts you’ve seen on another owl--the Great Horned Owl.  Strangely enough, these two owl species that live oceans apart are actually closely related!

Breeding season for owls is during the winter.  Eagle owls will start laying eggs in January and February.  They nest on high rocky cliffs and generally lay from one to four white eggs per clutch.  The male will do most of the hunting while the female will stay at the nest and feed and protect the clutch.  The female will incubate the eggs for 31-36 days.  After the eggs have hatched, the chicks will stay in the nest for 7-8 weeks.  When they fledge (leave the nest), the parents will still care for them for another 20-24 weeks.  The chicks will be on their own around 8 months old. 

A Eurasian Eagle Owl’s lifespan in the wild can be up to 20 years—and even double that or more in captivity.  Xena was hatched in captivity in 1999 at the World Bird Sanctuary, so she is 14 years old this year. The longest Eurasian Eagle Owl lifespan on record in captivity is 60 years old. 

The Eagle Owl call is described as a monotonous “oohu-oohu-oohu” and will also make an “oo-hooh” call as well.  The females will make a “kraah” sound during mating season.  The males have a deep voice and the females have a higher pitched voice. The first time I heard Xena call, I couldn’t believe it!  She is such a big gorgeous bird and the sound that came out of her didn’t seem to belong.  It was such a high-pitched sound that it made me laugh in amazement! 

Xena has been the feature bird for the photo op at many WBS special events

Xena is part of the Education Department at the World Bird Sanctuary (WBS).  She helps educate people at programs either on site at WBS, off site in a neighboring town, or even out of state!  Xena has also been in numerous parades in St. Louis, MO and St. Genevieve, MO, and even the Tournament of Roses Parade in Los Angeles, CA!  She is a seemingly easy- going bird that seems to like standing on the ground next to her perch outdoors, or take a bath in her water bowl when it’s raining.  She likes to eat rabbit, chicks, mice, and venison, but her favorite food is rat!  Yummy!   Because of her easy-going disposition she has often been the feature bird for the photo op at WBS special events.

Xena is available for adoption in our Adopt a Bird program.  To find out more information, call 636-861-3225.  All adoption donations are tax deductible.  She can be seen at the Monsanto Environmental Education Center at the World Bird Sanctuary, which is open daily from 8am-5pm.

Xena is a very mesmerizing bird.  You will be drawn toward her as soon as you see her!  You should stop on by and visit her!

Submitted by Lisbeth Hodges, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist