October 2023 - 30
With keen eyesight and phenomenal hearing, great horned owls are excellent hunters. (Photo by Tim Christie)
Their unbelievable sense
of hearing is a big plus
in their hunting skill set.
The National Wildlife
Federation reports
they can hear a mouse
stepping on a twig from
75 feet away.
ON THE HUNT
Great horned owls are primarily hunters of
the night, gifted with the largest eyes of any
bird in America - eyes that gather light in the
dark. Their eye placement gives them a binocular
wide field of view aided by the ability
to rotate their heads 270 degrees. We humans
can rotate our heads a mere 90 degrees. I have
had several opportunities to watch owls for an
extended period. Their gaze seems hypnotic
like they are peering into my soul. It's not a
casual look, but rather intense as if asking,
" What are you looking at me for? "
Their unbelievable sense of hearing is a big
plus in their hunting skill set. The National
Wildlife Federation reports they can hear a
mouse stepping on a twig from 75 feet away.
Last fall, I camped near a mountain stream.
Snuggled in a down sleeping bag, the sound
of an owl roused me from sleep. I opened the
tent flap and spotted an adult great horned
owl perched on a nearby tree, seemingly hanging
out before sunrise. It began tilting and
turning its head with eyes locked on a section
of knee-high grass. It sensed something. It
30 | October 2023
launched with a single beat of wings, silently
sailing down and extending its razor-sharp
talons at the last second. I couldn't see the
prey, but a good guess would be a vole or field
mouse. What a way to begin a day outdoors.
Prey varies based on the neighborhood
inhabited by the owls. Wyoming great horned
owls feed on small mammals like mice, voles,
gophers, prairie dogs, rabbits, reptiles and
other birds like doves. Given they have no
sense of smell, skunks are on the dinner menu
if available. Their feather and wing design are
nearly silent in flight, so most prey are never
afforded a warning that they are on the menu.
It's one more trait that makes great horned
owls amazing hunters.
While great horned owls tend to be nocturnal,
they're often observed at dawn or dusk.
While their name implies they have horns, it's
a misnomer. Those horns are tufts of feathers.
The feather pattern and coloration of a
great horned owl are an example of nature's
camouflage, enabling them to blend perfectly
into a variety of terrain. Recently, I was alerted
to an owl nesting on a ledge of a sheer rock
October 2023
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2023
October 2023 - 1
October 2023 - 2
October 2023 - 3
October 2023 - 4
October 2023 - 5
October 2023 - 6
October 2023 - 7
October 2023 - 8
October 2023 - 9
October 2023 - 10
October 2023 - 11
October 2023 - 12
October 2023 - 13
October 2023 - 14
October 2023 - 15
October 2023 - 16
October 2023 - 17
October 2023 - 18
October 2023 - 19
October 2023 - 20
October 2023 - 21
October 2023 - 22
October 2023 - 23
October 2023 - 24
October 2023 - 25
October 2023 - 26
October 2023 - 27
October 2023 - 28
October 2023 - 29
October 2023 - 30
October 2023 - 31
October 2023 - 32
October 2023 - 33
October 2023 - 34
October 2023 - 35
October 2023 - 36
October 2023 - 37
October 2023 - 38
October 2023 - 39
October 2023 - 40
October 2023 - 41
October 2023 - 42
October 2023 - 43
October 2023 - 44
October 2023 - 45
October 2023 - 46
October 2023 - 47
October 2023 - 48
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/wyoming-wildlife-may-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2024-e-edition
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/december-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/december-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-iak-special-issue
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/dec-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/January2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/December2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/September2020
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