Yes dear readers I am once again blogging about a Eurasian Eagle owl.
Hoss and Doctor Who have some similarities: they are both owls, were both free lofted until a year old, and both needed for emergency show help. That is where the similarities end.
This is Hoss's "curious" look
Hoss, for starters, is male, so he tops out at about 3 and half pounds. He is also being trained in a different method than Doctor Who. Dr. Who was manned (taught to sit on the glove) using the older system. Basically every time she jumped off the glove, we put her right back on until she learned we were a stable perch (and one that gave out food).
The method we are using with Hoss is positive reinforcement. It is his choice whether or not to come to my glove. Of course every time he does, there is a tasty reward in it for him (rat meat: yum!). It has been a long and slow process, but with repetition, constant training, and a lot of rat meat, Hoss will now step to and from my glove, to and from the scale (and allow me to take his weight, which is very important), on and off of his outdoor perch, and he has become one of our best sidewalk birds.
Many people love to stare at his beautiful plumage(similar in color and pattern to a Great Horned owl) and of course his piercing orange eyes. Since he is so young and new to people, it is fascinating to watch his facial feathers and feather tufts shift as he encounters new and different people.
The look he gets when he is not sure about an approaching person or object
Most guests ask if those tufts are his ears. They are actually just feathers that change position depending on his mood and interest level. If he sees something he does not like, one of the many peacocks that patrol the grounds for instance, then he will puff up all of his feathers, raise his wings, hiss and click his beak. This is how he would frighten off predators in the wild, since he would rather scare them off than get in a fight and risk injury.
Hoss is a very curious bird, and one that picks up on patterns quickly. He has started to realize that every time a large group of people come up to us, he gets a treat. Now whenever there is a large crowd, he will begin searching my glove for the treat he knows is coming. To keep him on his talons, so to speak, I randomize when he gets his treats. It could be while the people are there or after they leave. He never knows.
The next step with Hoss is having him step to the other trainer’s glove. Once he does this, we will hopefully be able to use him in shows. So next time you’re at the Milwaukee County Zoo, look for us by the gate to the Bird of Prey Theater. We might be having a training session, although who is training who is still up for debate.
Submitted by Leah Tyndall, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist
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