Post by dorothykeeler on Feb 22, 2016 14:10:31 GMT -7
www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/owls-you-might-hear-night
Click on link above to hear samples of owl calls.
Although most birds quiet down after dark, they often turn over the
airwaves to a subtler, eerier night shift. And of all the weird avian
voices darkness conjures, few can fill a forest, farm or backyard with
nocturnal ambience quite like an owl.
Owls may date back 50 million years or more, and they now inhabit every
continent except Antarctica, ranging from tundra to the tropics. Some are
active by day, but most — about two-thirds of 200 known species — are
primarily night owls.
Those species are well-equipped for night life, thanks to key adaptations
for finding and catching prey in almost total darkness. Their
light-sensitive "eye tubes" and sound-funneling face feathers help them
detect movement, for example, and they can fly in virtual silence thanks
to big wings and specially shaped flight feathers.
Because owls are so stealthy, though, people rarely get to see them in
their full glory. Instead, our first clue about their presence is usually
an ethereal hoot — or, depending on the species, maybe a strange beep,
chirp, shriek or screech.
Owls emit a wide range of noises, some of which are easier to recognize
than others. In hopes of making these moonlight crooners just a little
less mysterious, here's a who's who of some commonly heard owls from
around the world:
Barred owl — North America
If a ghostly voice in a tree has ever demanded the name of your chef, you
probably met a barred owl (Strix varia). They're famous for a distinctive
series of hoots, traditionally anglicized to "Who cooks for you? Who cooks
for you all?"
Barred owls are abundant in North America east of the Mississippi River,
especially in old-growth forests and treed swamps. They're adaptable, too,
inhabiting some urban areas with enough old tree cavities suitable for
their nests. They've also recently expanded across parts of Canada into
the Pacific Northwest, where they can outcompete the similar-looking but
much rarer spotted owl.
A typical "who cooks" call consists of eight or nine soulful, warbling
hoots, although barred owls seem to give themselves a fair amount of
artistic license:
Mated pairs also perform a howling treetop opera of caterwauls and "monkey
calls," described by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as a "riotous duet of
cackles, hoots, caws and gurgles." Here's an example recorded in Berkeley
County, West Virginia:
***
Great horned owl — Americas
Haunting diverse habitats from Alaska to Argentina, great horned owls
(Bubo virginianus) are the most common owls in the Americas. And thanks to
their piercing yellow eyes, imposing size and distinctive ear tufts —
technically "plumicorns," not horns — they're also one of the most iconic
New World raptors.
Great horned owls hunt mainly at night, tackling prey ranging from mice,
frogs and snakes to rabbits, skunks, crows and geese. They can be
recognized by a chain of "low, sonorous, far-carrying hoots, hoo, hoo-hoo,
hoo, hoo," according to the National Audubon Society, "with second and
third notes shorter than the others."
***
Barn owl — Americas, Eurasia, Africa and Oceania
The common barn owl (Tyto alba) is the one of Earth's most widely
distributed land birds, found on all continents but Antarctica. It hails
from the family Tytonidae, one of two main lineages of modern owls. (All
other owls in this list are from the more diverse Strigidae family, known
as "true owls.") Like other Tytonidae species, T. alba has large, dark
eyes and a characteristic heart-shaped facial disk.
Barn owls hunt rodents at night by soaring over open land like marshes,
prairies or farms, or by scanning from a low perch. They roost and nest in
quiet cavities, including trees as well as barns, silos and church
belfries. They're strictly nocturnal, but don't hoot — instead, their
signature call is a raspy, drawn-out scream:
***
Screech owl — Americas
For such big-voiced birds, screech owls are surprisingly small. About 20
species are known to science, all in the Americas, filling a niche similar
to Old World scops owls. They rely on camouflage to hide in trees during
the day, then come alive at night.
The eastern screech owl (Megascops asio) is about the size of a robin, and
ranges across most of the Eastern and Midwestern U.S., from the Great
Plains to Atlantic coasts. Despite its name, it doesn't really screech,
instead producing whinnies and trills. The male's main call (A-song) is a
mellow trill that fits about 35 notes into a few seconds, according to Owl
Pages, and his B-song is a descending whinny.
The western screech owl (Megascops kennicottii) ranges from southeastern
Alaska to the Arizona desert, and while it bears a visual resemblance to
its eastern cousin, it sounds significantly different. The species makes
"an accelerating 'bouncing ball' series" of six to eight whistles,
according to the Audubon Society.
***
Great gray owl — North America and Eurasia
The great gray owl (Strix nebulosa) is the largest owl in North America,
standing more than 2 feet tall (0.6 meter) tall with a wingspan up to 5
feet (1.5 meters). But "its great size is partly an illusion," the Audubon
Society points out, thanks to a fluffy mass of feathers that envelop a
much smaller body. Great gray owls are lighter than great horned or snowy
owls, and they have relatively diminutive feet and talons.
The rodent specialists can hunt by hearing alone, often diving to grab
mice from underneath deep snow. They're most active at night, and can be
identified by a deep "hooo-ooo-ooo-ooo" bellowed slowly over several
seconds. Territorial calls begin after dusk, according to Owl Pages, peak
before midnight and then again later in the night. They can be heard up to
half a mile away (800 meters) on clear nights.
Click on link above to hear samples of owl calls.
Although most birds quiet down after dark, they often turn over the
airwaves to a subtler, eerier night shift. And of all the weird avian
voices darkness conjures, few can fill a forest, farm or backyard with
nocturnal ambience quite like an owl.
Owls may date back 50 million years or more, and they now inhabit every
continent except Antarctica, ranging from tundra to the tropics. Some are
active by day, but most — about two-thirds of 200 known species — are
primarily night owls.
Those species are well-equipped for night life, thanks to key adaptations
for finding and catching prey in almost total darkness. Their
light-sensitive "eye tubes" and sound-funneling face feathers help them
detect movement, for example, and they can fly in virtual silence thanks
to big wings and specially shaped flight feathers.
Because owls are so stealthy, though, people rarely get to see them in
their full glory. Instead, our first clue about their presence is usually
an ethereal hoot — or, depending on the species, maybe a strange beep,
chirp, shriek or screech.
Owls emit a wide range of noises, some of which are easier to recognize
than others. In hopes of making these moonlight crooners just a little
less mysterious, here's a who's who of some commonly heard owls from
around the world:
Barred owl — North America
If a ghostly voice in a tree has ever demanded the name of your chef, you
probably met a barred owl (Strix varia). They're famous for a distinctive
series of hoots, traditionally anglicized to "Who cooks for you? Who cooks
for you all?"
Barred owls are abundant in North America east of the Mississippi River,
especially in old-growth forests and treed swamps. They're adaptable, too,
inhabiting some urban areas with enough old tree cavities suitable for
their nests. They've also recently expanded across parts of Canada into
the Pacific Northwest, where they can outcompete the similar-looking but
much rarer spotted owl.
A typical "who cooks" call consists of eight or nine soulful, warbling
hoots, although barred owls seem to give themselves a fair amount of
artistic license:
Mated pairs also perform a howling treetop opera of caterwauls and "monkey
calls," described by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as a "riotous duet of
cackles, hoots, caws and gurgles." Here's an example recorded in Berkeley
County, West Virginia:
***
Great horned owl — Americas
Haunting diverse habitats from Alaska to Argentina, great horned owls
(Bubo virginianus) are the most common owls in the Americas. And thanks to
their piercing yellow eyes, imposing size and distinctive ear tufts —
technically "plumicorns," not horns — they're also one of the most iconic
New World raptors.
Great horned owls hunt mainly at night, tackling prey ranging from mice,
frogs and snakes to rabbits, skunks, crows and geese. They can be
recognized by a chain of "low, sonorous, far-carrying hoots, hoo, hoo-hoo,
hoo, hoo," according to the National Audubon Society, "with second and
third notes shorter than the others."
***
Barn owl — Americas, Eurasia, Africa and Oceania
The common barn owl (Tyto alba) is the one of Earth's most widely
distributed land birds, found on all continents but Antarctica. It hails
from the family Tytonidae, one of two main lineages of modern owls. (All
other owls in this list are from the more diverse Strigidae family, known
as "true owls.") Like other Tytonidae species, T. alba has large, dark
eyes and a characteristic heart-shaped facial disk.
Barn owls hunt rodents at night by soaring over open land like marshes,
prairies or farms, or by scanning from a low perch. They roost and nest in
quiet cavities, including trees as well as barns, silos and church
belfries. They're strictly nocturnal, but don't hoot — instead, their
signature call is a raspy, drawn-out scream:
***
Screech owl — Americas
For such big-voiced birds, screech owls are surprisingly small. About 20
species are known to science, all in the Americas, filling a niche similar
to Old World scops owls. They rely on camouflage to hide in trees during
the day, then come alive at night.
The eastern screech owl (Megascops asio) is about the size of a robin, and
ranges across most of the Eastern and Midwestern U.S., from the Great
Plains to Atlantic coasts. Despite its name, it doesn't really screech,
instead producing whinnies and trills. The male's main call (A-song) is a
mellow trill that fits about 35 notes into a few seconds, according to Owl
Pages, and his B-song is a descending whinny.
The western screech owl (Megascops kennicottii) ranges from southeastern
Alaska to the Arizona desert, and while it bears a visual resemblance to
its eastern cousin, it sounds significantly different. The species makes
"an accelerating 'bouncing ball' series" of six to eight whistles,
according to the Audubon Society.
***
Great gray owl — North America and Eurasia
The great gray owl (Strix nebulosa) is the largest owl in North America,
standing more than 2 feet tall (0.6 meter) tall with a wingspan up to 5
feet (1.5 meters). But "its great size is partly an illusion," the Audubon
Society points out, thanks to a fluffy mass of feathers that envelop a
much smaller body. Great gray owls are lighter than great horned or snowy
owls, and they have relatively diminutive feet and talons.
The rodent specialists can hunt by hearing alone, often diving to grab
mice from underneath deep snow. They're most active at night, and can be
identified by a deep "hooo-ooo-ooo-ooo" bellowed slowly over several
seconds. Territorial calls begin after dusk, according to Owl Pages, peak
before midnight and then again later in the night. They can be heard up to
half a mile away (800 meters) on clear nights.