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Raptors | Other Birds | Mammals
Calgary Zoo | Wild birds | Miscellaneous wilderness shots All owls have immobile eyes mounted in large heads. They have a very wide range of motion wiht their heads which helps compensate for the lack of eye movement. Owls also have fluffy or serrated edges to their flight feather which makes them almost soundless when flying enabling them to catch their prey completely by surprise.
Owls found on this page include: Great Horned Owl,
Northern Saw-whet Owl,
Snowy Owl,
Great Gray Owl,
Long-eared Owl, and
Short-eared Owl
With Owlets (Bubo virginianus) Description: A large owl with ear tufts or "horns" - that are in fact neither. At 46-63cm long with a wing span of about 91-152cm, they are one of the larger owls found in Alberta. They are heavily barred with horizontal streaking on their underside and have a dark facial disc. They can be found in shades of grey to brown. Distribution: Great Horned Owls are found province wide in Alberta and are particularly common in the grassland and parkland regions. They can be found in a variety of habitats under a variey of conditions. Intersting Notes: The Great Horned Owl is the provincial bird of Alberta. Its large size and distinctive ear tufts make it easy to identify. Great Horned Owls are generalists in their diet and opportunistic hunters and will take almost anything as prey from rodents, rabbits and hares, ducks and other birds, and even skunks. Great Horned Owls have virtually no sense of smell which may explain the latter item on the menu.
"G.H.", the adult owl in the picture (on the right), is a permanent resident at the Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society. He lost his left wing as a result of an electrocution accident he had in 1995. He now acts as a surrogate parent to help raise orphaned owlets.
Many non-releasable owls make excellent foster parents. This is great for orphaned owlets who have a role model to teach them how to be owls rather than have them imprinted on people.
(Aegolius acadicus) Description: The Northern Saw-whet Owl is the second smallest owl found in the province measuring only 18-21cm in length. Only the Northern Pygmy Owl is smaller. saw-whets have small bodies with relatively large heads that lack ear tufts. The facial disc is less pronounced than in other owl species. The underparts are whitish with broad, irregular blotchy, brown streaks. Young birds (inset) are chocolate brown with a very conspicuous "V" on their foreheads. Distribution: The Northern Saw-whet Owl may be found in the southern half of Alberta and typically breed in mature forests with a mixture of dead and live trees where they nest in abandoned wookpecker holes.
Intersting Notes: The Saw-whet gets its name from it metalillic-like call that
resembles the filing of a saw. They typically hunt small rodents, large insects, amphibians
and some small birds.
(Nyctea scandiaca) Description: The Snowy Owl is the heaviest found in Alberta weighing in at 1.3-1.5kg. and are about 51-69cm long. Snowies have round heads, yellow eyes and heavily feathered black feet. Snowies lack a true facial disc seen in most other owl species. The Snowy is a distinctive white owl with varying degrees of dark brown spotting and barring. Adult males are almost pure white, although they have up to three tail bands. Adult females are noticeably larger than males and are distinctly barred throughout, though white tail dominates. Distribution: The Snowy Owl is a winter visitor to Alberta as they breed in the Arctic tundra.
Intersting Notes: For anyone who has never seen a Snowy owl up close, these are BIG birds.
Oftentimes in wildlife rehabilitation there are requirements of physically handling an animal.
A person quickly develops a healthy respect for an owl's tallons.
(Strix nebulosa) Description: The Great Gray Owl is the tallest owl in Alberta, but it is not the heaviest. It is about 61-84 cm high with a wing span of 1.37-1.52 m and weighs between 1.0 and 1.6 kg. Its large size, gray colour, yellow eyes, and the absence of ear tufts (horns) are diagnostic features. There is a prominent white collar on the front of the neck. The feathers on the chest and sides are 4-6 inches long and, when fluffed out, help keep the owl warm during the long cold winters as well as make it the Great Gray to appear to very large. Like most owls, the Great Gray has a distinctive facial disk, and the feathers of the disk help direct sounds toward the ear openings which are hidden by feathers. Distribution: The Great Gray Owl is one of the most reclusive owls in North America. Although widely distributed throughout Aberta, it is common only in certain localities.
Interesting Notes: The Great Gray Owl has a naked patch
under each wing which aids in cooling it during the hot summer. The patch is
usually hidden by the wings and adjacent feathers. The owl often perches near the edge
of a meadow, slough, or open area where it hunts for mice. It is not shy and will
often allow people to approach within 50 feet before flying. It will usually fly a
couple of hundred yards before alighting. It has a deep-pitched booming call, hoo-hoo-hoo,
which it gives at night or occasionally on overcast days.
(Asio otus) Description: Sometimes referred to as the "lesser horned owl," the long-eared owl is a crow-sized owl with a slim body, and with long, close-set ear tufts. It closely resembles the Great Horned Owl but can be distinguished by its smaller size and lack of a white throat bib. This owl is gray to brownish-gray in color with vertical belly markings (Great Horned Owl's are horizontal), 33-41cm long, and has a wingspan of 91-119cm. Distribution: The Long-eared owl has scattered local populations throughout much of the prairie and grassland areas of Alberta, although some populations do exist in the Boreal Forest regions. Intersting Notes: This is a crow-sized owl not commonly seen in Alberta. Not because they are so rare, but because they are very cryptic and are adept at remaining motionless all day, blending in with trees where they spend most of their day. This owl is more secretive than most owls. When they are seen, they are usually found "frozen" close to the trunk of a large tree.
Like the great horned owl, the long-eared owl uses nests abandoned by hawks, crows,
magpies, herons, or squirrels, or in cavities of old stumps, and occasionally on the
ground if tree nests are scarce. The long-eared owl hunts almost exclusively at night
and eats primarily mice, squirrels, and pocket gophers. It will
occasionally eat small birds, as well as insects, frogs and small snakes.
(Asio flammeus) Description: The Short-eared Owl is readily identified by its distinctive butterflylike, flopping flight. It is about 33-43cm long, has an average wingspan of 106cm. It gets its name from small ear tufts which are barely visible. It has a small, white-fringed facial disc, is tawny brown with bold streaks on the breast and a pale, lightly streaked belly. It has small ear tufts which are barely visible, and in flight shows black wrist marks on the bottom of its wings. Distribution: The Short-ear is an uncommon owl and although it may be found throughout the province, the Short-eared Owl is likely to be seen in the central and southern parts of Alberta prefering grassland and parkland areas. Intersting Notes: Don't look up in trees for these owls though...they are predominately ground dwellers. Like most owls, Short-ears are not likely to be seen during the day as they are nocturnal hunters.
Short-eared owls have the abiltiy to strike their wingtips together below them, producing a
clapping sound used during courtship rituals. It feeds primarily on Meadow Voles but also
feeds on other small rodents, rabbits, and some small birds.
References
This page last updated June 22, 2001
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