Birdwatching: Willapa refuge resident is known as the ‘tiger owl’

Published 10:57 am Tuesday, March 22, 2016

By Dr. Madeline A. Kalbach

For the Observer

Owls are most interesting birds. Some are diurnal (daytime) hunters, while others are nocturnal (active at night).

Owls that hunt at night are able to locate even the faintest sound when searching for prey. They are silent on the wing, so they can pounce on an animal without a sound. Scientists have found that a structural modification of the owl’s first primary feather on its wings is what makes the silence possible. The edge of the feather is serrated rather than smooth so that the airflow is interrupted and the noise it generally would make is eliminated. In general, its wings are short and wide, which facilitates movement through the forest among the trees.

Several of the owls found on the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge are night hunters. The great horned owl is one of them. It is very dark in color and about the size of a red-tailed hawk. It is definitely large in appearance. It has small ear tufts that from a distance or when seen as a silhouette give its head a cat-like appearance from behind. The eyes of an owl do not move in their sockets, but its head swivels 180 degrees so it can see in all directions.

The great horned owl is so big and powerful that it can pounce on animals and birds much larger that itself such as a peregrine falcon or other owls, but it also dines on “daintier fare” such as frogs and mice. It is not afraid to attack other birds of prey when on the hunt! Its talons are so strong and the great horned’s grip is so deadly that when clenched, it requires 28 pounds of force to open them, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. I think it is as strong as a tiger!

Look for the great horned owl in mixed forests or even close to town or in a park. Most likely, the nesting site will be near a field or pasture. At this time of year the owl may already be nesting so be on the look out for a large bulky stick nest that was once a used by another bird such as a hawk. The great horned owl does not build its own nest and for this reason does not always reuse last year’s nest. Heavy use by several species means that the nest will likely deteriorate faster over the years.

If you are out on the trail and you hear crows, blackbirds or jays making a lot of noise and flying around an area. They may have found the daytime roosting spot of the great horned owl and are mobbing it in an effort to encourage it to leave the area. After all, the great horned owl is one of the crow’s worst nightmares! Dinner anyone?