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OWLS |
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Chiefly nocturnal birds of prey with a large head and eyes, short hooked bill, strong talons, and soft fluffy plumage |
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Great
Horned Owl Bubo virginianus Our most common owl, visiting a Great Horned Owl's dining room is like a boneyard. Here, you can find pellets regurgitated by the owl. These pellets tell a story of the owl's past life and have been known to include squirrels, skunks, rabbits, songbirds, geese, hawks, and even porcupines. Their nickname is "winged tiger." They are strong, fearless, and mate for life.
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Barn
Owl Tyto alba The barn owl earned its name for its willingness to nest in barns and buildings as well as hollow trees, caves, and holes in cliffs. Barn owls range includes both North and South America, it also can be found in Europe, Asia, Africa, and even Australia. A family of young barn owls can consume 5 mice per bird each night! Extremely valuable as rodent controllers. |
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Eastern
Screech-Owl Otus asio Eastern Screech-Owls can be red or gray. Not only can their colors vary, so do their diets eating mammals, birds, insects, earthworms, snakes, and snails. Screech-Owls love to bathe and if your bird bath is empty in the morning, you may have one coming to it. Standing about eight inches tall, screech owls are sometimes mistaken as baby great horned owls. Nesting in holes in trees, they occur in every city and town in the state where these tree holes are available. |
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Snowy
Owl Nyctea scandiaca A rare visitor to Nebraska, the immature snowy owl have been known to venture as far south as Alabama when lemming populations drop. A hunter of the Arctic Circle, snowy owls main staple are lemming and when their numbers are at their peak, they may hunt nothing else.
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Burrowing
Owl Athene cunicularia Nebraska's only threatened owl, the burrowing owl thrives in old prairie dog towns. There it finds nesting sites and a good place to take a dust bath. Burrowing owls will return to the same nest year after year. Those that need remodeling will be scraped and dug by built-in tools including beaks, legs, and wings. They like to adorn the entrance with cow chips, which actually may deter mammalian predators by throwing off their scent. The alarm call of young owls sounds just like a rattlesnake! |
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Barred
Owl Strix varia The "monkeys" of the night, its raucous repetoire that includes squeaks, squawks, screeches, barks, and yowls can be heard for miles. This raptor is easily fooled and birdwatchers often mimic the "who-cooks-for you, who-cooks-for-you-all" call that will lure any nearby owls out of hiding. Also a cavity nester, they occur where trees are large enough to accomodate them. |
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Long-eared
Owl Asio otus A roosting long-eared owl looks like a broken branch. The tufts of feathers on their head look like ears but they are not, they are merely for show. These owls live in dense forests and can be hard to spot. A medium-sized owl, they eat mainly small rodents, and can be found roosting in loose flocks during the winter, especially in old cedar groves. |
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Short-eared
Owl Asio flammeus While most owls are nocturnal, short-eared owls are diurnal and frequent fields and marshes. At first glance, they fly like a moth, fluttering just above the vegetation. Their nests are on the ground and when disturbed, they will feign injury to lure intruders from their nest. A cosmopolitan species, they are credited with helping to stop the spread of the Plague in Europe in the 15th century, when they moved in numbers and ate the rodents carrying the fleas the carried disease. There is even a sub-species of short-eared owl on the Galapagos Islands! |
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Saw-whet Owl |
