Happy New Year 1-4

Today:Start “mini-unit” on owlsMid term after owl test

Mini-before-Christmas Unit

General Info

Owl’s fill the niche at night which would be occupied by hawks in daytimeNiche – role organism plays in the

environment

Don’t build nests – use old crow or hawk nests

Diet – mice, rats, birds, insects, etc Spend day in covered areas

General Info

Over 200 species of owls8 can be found in PA

Hatching Eggs are not laid at the same time and

thus do not hatch at same time Why could this be a useful adaptation?

If enough food, all chicks surviveIf not enough food, ensures oldest will be

strong and survive (youngest chicks die)

Owl Chicks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGShADzKjTI&feature=related

Eyesight Very large eyes Sight 50-100 x better at locating small

objects in low light than humans So, in their eyes they must have more…

Rods – cells that gather light in the eyeCones – cells that gather color

Eye’s fixed in skull – can’t move them Twist head to look around…some up to

270 degrees

Warm Up 1-5

What is a niche? Today:

Talons, Leading edge of wings, etc

Males vs. Females

Female birds of prey tend to be larger than the males

(same is true for many reptiles)

Talons

Have large sharp talons – used to kill prey

Two talons will face backwards and 2 forwards to grab prey

Wings

Leading edge of the wing are serrated to help muffle the sound of flight.

(Start about 3:30) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJNRFxL3moM

Hearing Face is shaped like a disc to funnel

sound Many species of owls have

asymmetrical earsAllows them to locate prey more efficiently,

even if they can’t see it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yps7pgq1TAk

Warm Up 1-6

How do asymmetrical ears help an owl locate prey?

Today:Owl pukeFinish movie

Hunting

Mostly sit and wait predator Wait on tree until prey is located

Warm Up 1-7

Why do we study owl pellets? Today:

Owl Pellet LabQuiz on Owl information tomorrow – Review

sheet due

Owl Puke Owl’s regurgitate prey remains – called a

pellet (or a bolus)Swallow prey whole – they cannot digest hair,

fur, nails, etc

These can be studied to determine the owls diet

Owl Puking (1:05) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waLiTmLr1nM&feature=related

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=owl%20pellet&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&sa=N&tab=wv#

Owl Pellet http://www.pond5.com/stock-footage/96545/owl-pellet.html

Quiz! 1-11

Quiz Review sheets due

Owl Pellet Lab

Work in teams of 2-3 Need 2 pieces of paper

One to break apart the pelletOne to place the bones

Your goal is to determine the identity of the organisms in the owl pellet using the bone key in the packet

The data table and lab questions should also be completed

Owl Prey Voles

Resemble mouse – shorter hairy tailStouter body

Moles (not owl prey)Spend most of life undergroundVery underdeveloped eyes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGShADzKjTI&feature=related – hissing chick

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJNRFxL3moM - owl general info – wing serrations

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yps7pgq1TAk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yps7pgq1TAk&feature=fvw – prey under

snow http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=owl%20pellet&ie=utf-

8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&sa=N&tab=wv# - owl pellet – breaking it apart

http://www.pond5.com/stock-footage/96545/owl-pellet.html - owl puking

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVSXQKmL6ZM&feature=related – owl eating mouse