They have asymmetrical hearing, with one ear higher than the other, and depend on their hearing to find rodents scurrying in foliage on the ground. They are considered to be “farmers’ friends” for their mouse-hunting ability a family of barn owls can consume as many as 3,000 mice in a season.īarn owls are known for their ability to capture prey by sound alone, Beveroth said. Since their decline, barn owls have come to depend on man-made nest box structures and barns that fit their nesting needs. Great horned owls can be successful in many different habitats. Barred owls tend to prefer old bottomland forests, and eastern screech owls are dependent on forested areas, although they are now also observed in forested urban areas. Illinois owl species can share a habitat. “Sometimes, in response to a recorded call, barred owls, usually a male and female, can be heard caterwauling (hooting loudly) to each other. “Most owls respond to prerecorded calls, especially during the breeding season,” Beveroth said. The barn owl emits a blood-curdling scream in the darkness, and the barred owl’s call sounds like, “Who, who cooks for you”?Īs part of the INHS Monitoring for Owls and Nightjars (MOON) Program, Beveroth’s volunteers learn to distinguish the calls of owls and nightjars, then drive routes that consist of 10 roadside stops, listening for 6 minutes at each stop. Screech owl calls sound like a horse’s whinny, and the great horned owl, the bird of storybooks, produces the well-known hooting sound. They are territorial creatures and use their calls to warn others to stay off their turf.Įach owl species has a unique call. Owls typically call most often at dawn and dusk, but on a clear, moonlit night with little wind, some may be heard calling periodically throughout the night. The barn owl occurs globally but was listed as Illinois-endangered in 1977 and is currently considered a threatened species in the state, according to Tara Beveroth, avian researcher and monitoring coordinator, Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois. Four species of owls are year-round Illinois residents, the barn owl, screech owl, barred owl, and great horned owl (also known as the hoot owl). Today, owls are considered to be creatures of beauty, wise and mysterious birds that are hunters of the night. In Medieval Europe, owls were thought to be witches and an owl’s call meant someone was about to die. – “Birds of omen, dark and foul,” wrote Sir Walter Scott about owls, once considered harbingers of doom, death, and destruction. Hershberger bill snapping of adult Great Horned Owl by W.W.H.Gunn.īirdNote's theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler. Hoots of female and male Great Horned Owls recorded by W.R.Fish shriek of young Great Horned Owl recorded by D.S.Herr bark” of an adult Great Horned Owl recordist unknown from “All About Birds” “chitter” of female Great Horned Owl and hearty squawk recorded by W.L. There may be a Great Horned Owl in your neighborhood.īird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Female owls sometimes call out with high-pitched trills or hearty squawks, and Great Horned Owls hiss, pop, meow, coo, and snap their bills. In fact, Great Horned Owls have a lot to say. Adult owls also bark in response to threats. Great Horned Owls may also pierce the darkness with an eerie shriek, which may signal a hungry owlet begging for food or a female defending its nest. Even though females average a third larger than males, the smaller male has a bigger voice box, or syrinx. When a pair of Great Horned Owls calls in a duet, the female usually hoots first, and the male replies at a lower pitch. And one of our most familiar connections is with the lovely and mysterious hooting of Great Horned Owls. After dark, it’s our ears that connect us to the lives of birds.
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