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

Whooo is THAT bird over there?

Visitors to the nature center at the World Bird Sanctuary often notice an unusual-looking owl in the weathering area.  The Naturalists at the nature  center often hear the question – “What is THAT bird over there?” – as the visitor points in amazement at our Mia, the Spectacled Owl.

Closeup of Mia (photo: Dawn Griffard)

Mia often gets much attention for her exotic markings.  She is a beautiful caramel and black color with a swooping beige “uni-brow” and has a seemingly extremely prideful gaze.

Mia is a beautiful representation of her species, which is indigenous to Mexico, Central America and the northern part of South America.

Mia's beautiful color and markings often draw "oohs" and "aahs" from visitors (photo: Dawn Griffard)

Spectacled Owls prefer dense tropical rainforests but can also be found in dry forests, treed savannah habitats and open areas with scattered trees. Like most raptors, Spectacled Owls are generally not social birds.  This owl is nocturnal. Because of deforestation of rainforests, the Spectacled Owl may be in trouble in the near future.

Spectacled Owls are not particular when it comes to their diet. They will eat just about anything that ventures into the area they are patrolling. To catch their prey, they will simply drop from the tree branch on which they are perched with a swooping pounce. These owls will dine on anything from caterpillars and beetles to frogs, mice, smaller birds, opossums and skunks.

Nesting season is generally from January to August. They are cavity nesters, as are many other species of owls.  The incubation of their eggs lasts about 36 days.

Fledglings are ready to fly at about six to eight weeks. These little ones will not acquire their full adult plumage for up to five years. When hatched, they are beige/white with black, heart-shaped faces.

Our Mia was hatched at the North Carolina Zoo and was hand-raised so that she would be easy to work with in our educational programs. In 1994, she became a part of the World Bird Sanctuary’s spring/summer program at Grant’s Farm in St. Louis and since then went to Tampa, Florida to be in the sanctuary’s show at Busch Gardens.  More recently she has also made appearances at the winter Owl Prowls here at WBS and has starred in many educational programs.  She has free flown in WBS’s bird show at Stone Zoo in Boston.

Mia sunning in the weathering area (photo Dawn Griffard)

Now retired from free flying in shows, Mia still engages crowds by appearing in our programs as a glove-handled bird. She enjoys playing with sticks and leaves in the weathering area and can be a great conversationalist as she chatters with her “pup-pup-pup-pup-pup” and warbling hoot. Mia is now 22 years old, and according to those who have known her for a good part of her life, she only gets sweeter with age.

Mia is available for adoption through our Adopt-A-Bird program! For a mere $100.00, you can become Mia’s “adoptive family”, helping to care for her for an entire year.  You will also receive the following:

• Certificate of Adoption with a full color photograph
• World Bird Sanctuary sponsorship for one year
• One year’s subscription to our newsletter – the Mews News – printed three times per year
• Natural history and life history of your special adopted animal
• Plush bird toy
• Reusable WBS shopping bag
• 10% discount on all World Bird Sanctuary merchandise in our gift shop
• 10% discount on all public programs offered at World Bird Sanctuary, such as Owl Prowls, Nature Hikes, etc.
• Visiting privileges and photo opportunities with the special new member of your family (just call ahead first to make sure she will be here).

We hope that you will consider adopting our Mia and become a part of the World Bird Sanctuary family!

 

Submitted by Dawn Griffard, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

MAMA MIA!

I am very excited to tell you about this next animal!  She is such a beautiful bird and joy to work with!  I know you will fall in love with her just as I did.  She is the sweetest owl with whom I have ever had the privilege to work.

Meet Mia

Her name is Mia and she is a Spectacled Owl (Pulsatrix perspicillata).  Mia was hatched at the North Carolina Zoo in 1993 and was raised by hand to become an education ambassador.  In December of 1993 she became a celebrity after being featured on the Today Show.

  

These are medium-sized owls that stand at 16 to 19 inches tall and weigh from 16 to 32 ounces, depending if it is a male or female.  Females are generally larger than males in birds of prey.  Their wingspan ranges from two and half to three feet!  Spectacled Owl plumage (feather color) consists of two colors.  They have dark brown on most of their body and buffy brown on their belly.  They have a light-colored outline around their eyes, which gives the appearance that they are wearing glasses.

Can you see how this species got its name?

Spectacled Owls can be found in Mexico, Central America, and the northeast half of South America.  They reside in dense, tropical rainforests, dry forests, savannah habitat, and open places with few trees in the area.  These owls mostly eat mice and insects, but will also go after bats, small birds, frogs, spiders, and even crabs!

Spectacled owls are monogamous (meaning  they have one mate) and nest in hollow trees.  They lay from one to two eggs per clutch (a group of eggs or chicks).  The incubation period usually lasts around five weeks.  Then at five to six weeks old the chicks will start to fledge (leave the nest).  At this age however, they cannot fly well yet and will depend on their parents for up to a year until fully independent. 

A Spectacled Owl’s lifespan ranges from 25 to 35 years.  It takes three to five years to change from their juvenile to their adult plumage, depending if in the wild or captivity.  They will molt faster in the wild than in captivity.  The chick’s plumage is very different from the adult’s; actually the two colors are switched!   

The baby's white down is completely the reverse of the adult dark feathers

Another name for this owl is the Knocking Owl.  They have the ability to make a vocalization that actually sounds like someone is knocking on a wooden door!  I have heard stories where Mia has done this and “tricked” people into making them think someone is at the door!  Mia has traveled with WBS all over the country to places such as Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida, the Milwaukee County Zoo, Boston’s Stone Zoo, and  Grant’s Farm here in St. Louis.

Mia is a trained flyer that is astounding to watch.  In 2011, she flew from perch to perch in the bird show at Grant’s Farm with me.  She was the first bird I taught to fly a pattern by myself.  I was very proud of myself and her.  Mia is a much faster learner than some of the other birds I have worked with.  Below is a picture of Mia sleeping between shows at Grant’s Farm.  I think it is pretty rare to get a picture of a sleeping bird, especially an owl!  They have incredible hearing!

I caught Mia sleeping

Mia 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.  Adoptive parents will need to make a reservation to see her since she resides at our behind-the-scenes area during her vacation months. The rest of World Bird Sanctuary is open daily from 8am-5pm.

Submitted by Lisbeth Hodges, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

The Rookie Files: Mia

How to teach an old dog (or owl as the case may be) new tricks.

Thus far the birds that I’ve talked about were completely new to shows this summer.  Some of our rookies, however, were previously in shows but it had been a while since they performed.  One bird however has done shows for most of her life, but last summer was only her second year doing a completely new behavior.

Mia is a sixteen year old spectacled owl.  This species is found in the rainforests of Central and South America.  They are easily recognized by their dark head with white markings around their eyes.  These markings strongly resemble a pair of glasses or spectacles, giving the owls their name.  Juveniles are not so easily recognized since they have the exact opposite coloration of the adults. They are white bodied with a dark facial mask.  In fact, they look so different from the adults that when scientists first saw them they thought that they were looking at two completely different species of owls.  It actually takes anywhere from one to five years for the juveniles to molt into their adult plumage, rather than one year as in other owl species. 

Spectacled owls also differ from most owls in their call.  Rather than the customary hooting we associate with owls, spectacled owls are nicknamed the knocking owl because their primary vocalization sounds like someone knocking on a pane of glass.  This can be a little disconcerting when you are alone in the building and your spectacled owl begins calling unexpectedly.  Spectacled owls will eat crabs (their favorite tasty treat), rodents, and occasionally birds.  There is even one recorded case of a spectacled owl catching and eating an adult three toed sloth!

Mia never snuck off to eat the zoo’s sloth, but she did love to fly for rat meat.  After spending most of her life and show career as a walk on bird (aka sitting on the glove and looking pretty) Mia free flew for the first time in the summer of 2008.  It was a very simple pattern, only one or two hops.  Last summer we were a little more ambitious.  Mia hopped from the trainer’s glove to a flat top perch.  From here she made her entrance onto the stage usually prefaced by an excited “wooo!”.  First she flew to a stump where she was rewarded with a piece of rat meat, and then she hopped to a second stump.  From there she flew back to the first stump before revving up her rocket boosters (figuratively) and flying offstage(literally)to a stool where she was picked up and escorted back to her perch.

 Mia did an excellent job last summer, although she had a few issues on windy days.  Sometimes she would be blown unexpectedly by a strong wind gust and end up on an unintended perch(or fence), but she usually recovered quickly.  She even reprised her role as a walk on bird on the occasions that she took a very long, wet bath right before a show.  Oddly enough she was still a fan favorite, even when she looked like a drowned rat.

In the off-season Mia spends her time in her specially constructed indoor flight cage, since she can’t handle Missouri’s cold winter climate.  Most of the day is spent sitting and preening, with the occasional bath thrown in every now and then.  In March she makes a special guest appearance at the International Owl Festival in Minnesota and then relaxes till the summer.  This summer we are hopeful that Mia will be able to fly a more complicated pattern and end on a trainer’s glove rather than a stool.  Who says you can’t teach an old owl new tricks?  Well no one, and maybe Mia and her flying prowess are the reason.

Submitted by Leah Tyndall, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist