Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society  

MARS MOMENTS #9  Western Screech Owl

 By Sandy Fairfield

 Marvelous and mysterious, powerful and deadly all describe characteristics of Owls.  They are versatile vocalists, few of them actually “hoot” rather their sounds include screeches, screams, whistles, purrs, snorts and even hisses.  All owls when alarmed will emit a clicking sound made with their tongues and beaks as a warning to the intruder to back off.  Many people are drawn to Owls because their faces resemble humans with large forward facing eyes complete with eyelashes and lids, and beaks that resemble a nose. A group of Owls is known as a Parliament and their patient demeanor has earned them the reputation of being wise.  Owls come in many sizes the smallest being the Elf Owl standing only about 5 inches, in comparison the Great Grey is one of the largest at just over two and a half feet.  Owls are found world wide, with the exception of a few oceanic Islands , there are two hundred and five known species.  The Barn Owl is one of the most widely distributed land dwelling birds in the world.

One of the more elusive local owls is the Western Screech owl, and a recent visitor to MARS.  Contrary to its name this owl does not screech but rather “hoo…hoos”.  These little owls, only nine inches tall, are masters of disguise.  Nocturnal hunters they are forest dwellers and are built with short broad wings which enable them to fly easily through the trees.  Unlike other owls they flap rather than glide.  Finding a Screech Owl is difficult.  They are able to change their shape by stretching their feathers to elongate their bodies, and raising false ear feathers thus resembling a twig protruding from the branch they are perched on.  Their coloration and feather pattern also resembles the furrows in bark blending them into their background, the perfect camouflage. A diverse diet has enabled the Screech owl to adapt and breed successfully and they are one of the more plentiful owl species.  They will eat a huge variety of insects, small animals, amphibians and even other small birds.  In turn, being one of the smaller owls they are vulnerable to predation by forest dwelling mammals, snakes and other larger owls.   As mentioned in previous articles, most owl injuries are the result of impacts with vehicles.  Even the draft from a passing car can cause a severe trauma, as owls’ are truly “light as a feather”.  The most recent owl visitor to MARS, this Screech Owl, was another head trauma victim. Owls have unique eyes which makes them prone to injuries.  They have huge eyes that are appear round face on, but taper to a bell shape inside the head.  Unlike our eyes they are held in place by bone, which means they cannot move their eyes without moving their heads, making their eyes prone to retinal tears.  An owl has twice as many vertebrae in its neck than humans do, enabling it to turn its head almost one hundred and eighty degrees in either direction. We are hopeful, after an extensive stay to let a serious eye injury heal, this owl will be released.  Owls continue to provide invaluable contribution to vermin control.  In areas where owls have been displaced by war, or natural disasters, rat populations have flourished out of control proving how important they are to a healthy environment.  

For more info. MARS offers an educational program “Owls are a Hoot”. Visit our web site www.wingtips.org or come out on April 4^th to our Open House.

Sandy Fairfield 897-0337