LESSON PLAN: GREAT HORNED OWL By Susan Johnson Objective: Education is a big part of the Wildlife Waystation’s mission. Lesson plans are available to download for students, teachers and anyone interested in learning more about wild and exotic animals.

TUMBLEWEED Tumbleweed is a Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) who lives at the Wildlife Waystation. He came from La Canada on June 14, 2009 with a broken wing, left wing damage and a dislocated shoulder. Volunteers take Tumbleweed out of his enclosure so that he may hop onto a tree and perch, where he is able to look out over the valleys to exercise his eyes.

Animal Facts: The Great Horned Owl is the second heaviest owl in North America, and the heaviest owl living in Central and South America. They are heavily built with a barrel chest, a large head, and broad wings. Their wingspan is twice the length of the owl’s height. Females are larger than the males. They have short feathers on their faces making a pattern forming a facial disk. This works like a satellite dish funneling the sounds to their ears so they can hear noises made by their favorite foods, rodents and rabbits. Owl’s large yellow eyes appear mesmerizing because other than blinking they cannot move them. Their eyes are fixed in their sockets and have no peripheral vision so they must turn their heads in the direction they wish to see. Their coloring is generally warm brown on the upper parts, spotted with darker brown, black and whitish. This lets them blend into their surroundings so as not to be seen by their prey. Their legs and feet are thickly feathered with only their talons showing. Great Horned Owls eat small mammals like rats, weasels, squirrels, bats and rabbits. They also eat preys that are heavier than themselves such as porcupines, marmots and skunks.

Did You Know? The tufts that remind one of a kitties ears, are feathers called Plumicorns. They are not horns or ears.

*** Owls have exceptional hearing because one of their ears is positioned higher on the skull. The higher ear allows them to hear noises from above, and the lower ear is for hearing noises below.

*** Owls are colorblind & can only see in shades of black and white. Their eyesight is much better at night, approximately 100 times better than a human.

*** Owls can rotate their heads up to 270 degrees so they seem to turn their heads in a complete circle.

*** They can fly up to forty (40) miles an hour.

They can fly silently because the ends of their flight feathers don't have barbules (the tiny hooks that most all other bird feathers have). When birds are flying, the barbules rubbing together make noise. They start their breeding period in late fall or early winter. You know when it occurs by the low muffled hooting of the male signaling his territory. Males and females sometimes sing duets with their well-known pattern of four to five hoots. Great Horned Owls do not build their own nests. They generally take over a nest already built by another large bird and can add more feathers to line the nest but usually not much more. The female typically lays two eggs around early January or February. Generally nearly a month later the chicks are born. The nestlings are unable to fly for ten to twelve weeks and are dependent upon their parents for food until fall. The young may stay close to their parents for nine to ten months before heading off on their own. Great Horned Owls can live up to thirty years. Their most vulnerable time is when they are young and can be killed by foxes, coyotes, and wild or feral cats, or as eggs due to predation. The only adult predators are human hunters and motor vehicles. QUIZ & LEARN

1. At how many weeks can owlets start hopping onto nearby branches? 2. Why is it handy for owls to be able to turn their heads 270 degrees? 3. What are “feather tracks”? 4. What does the term “feaking” mean? 5. What is an “egg tooth”?

(See how you did by checking out the answers at the bottom of the page). Project Make your own Great Horned Owl mask for Halloween or anytime you feel like dressing up. You can download a template on our website. Quiz Answers: 1) At 6 weeks old - 2) Because they cannot move their eyes in their sockets, so they have to turn their heads to see around them. - 3) The places where feathers grow on a bird’s body. – 4) Birds wipe their beaks on a branch after eating to clean it, this is called “feaking”. - 5) It is a little white projection on the top of the bill of a hatching owl so they can break the shell they are in. It falls off when the owlet is about a week old

Did You Know? After laying eggs, the female rarely lives the nest and relies on the male to feed her.

*** Great Horned Owls usually live and hunt within a one square mile territory.

*** The average adult Great Horned owl is 22” long with a 49” wingspan and weighs about 3lbs.

*** Because they eat the feathers, bone and fur of their prey and because their stomach doesn’t produce enough acid to digest these, they throw up pellets made of these elements once a day.