Can You Recognize the Call of a Great Horned Owl?
It's as distinctive as those big ear tufts.
This story is brought to you by BirdNote, a show that airs daily on public radio stations nationwide.
Transcript:
After dark, it鈥檚 our ears that connect us to the lives of birds. And one of our most familiar connections is with the lovely and mysterious hooting of Great Horned Owls.
When a pair of Great Horned Owls calls in a duet, the female usually hoots first, and the male replies at a lower pitch. Even though females average a third larger than males, the smaller male has a bigger voice box, or syrinx.
Here鈥檚 the female again.
Now the male.
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. Adult owls also bark in response to threats.
In fact, Great Horned Owls have a lot to say. Female owls sometimes call out with high-pitched trills or hearty squawks, and Great Horned Owls hiss, pop, meow, coo, and snap their bills.
So have a listen after dark. There may be a Great Horned Owl in your neighborhood.
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Credits:
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Bird sounds provided by at the , Ithaca, New York. Crickets [uned.] recorded by N. Tucker.
Hoots of female and male Great Horned Owls [22874] recorded by W.R.Fish; shriek of young Great Horned Owl [47685] recorded by D.S.Herr; bark鈥 of an adult Great Horned Owl [no #] recordist unknown from 鈥淎ll About Birds鈥; 鈥渃hitter鈥 of female Great Horned Owl [94364] and hearty squawk [94364] recorded by W.L. Hershberger; bill snapping of adult Great Horned Owl [59821] by W.W.H.Gunn.
BirdNote's theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
Producer: John Kessler
Executive Producer: Chris Peterson
Written by Bob Sundstorm
漏 2013 Tune In to Nature.org June 2013 Narrator: Michael Stein