Long ago, I decided to take my niece and nephew to the movies as a treat and one I quickly regretted as my niece complained constantly that her brother was staring at her and I should make him stop.

One of the most fun things about being a kid is having a staring contest with a sibling or best friend.

Who can resist the challenge — right? It’s fun if you are the one doing the staring and I now can sympathize with my niece every time I get stared at by one of these impressive birds.

That stare is quite intimidating

Great Horned Owls have large eyes, pupils that open widely in the dark for excellent night vision.

Forward-facing eyes provide excellent binocular vision, crucial for judging distances while hunting. Their eyes are fixed in their sockets, so owls must move their heads in whatever direction they are looking. The eyes are so large there is no room for the eyes to move so the owl compensates by rotating its head up to 275 degrees or three-quarters of a circle.

One of the myths I have heard over the years is that owls spin their heads completely around.

When I explain that this just isn’t true, people will swear they have seen that happen! Owls can swivel their heads very suddenly which gives the impression that they have spun their head in a complete circle.

Their eyes weigh more and take up more space in the skull than the brain and their eyes are so large that they touch behind the beak. It has been noted that owls see 50 to 100 times better than people in dim light while their daytime vision is sharp, it’s the night vision that is amazing.

I had a college professor tell me that IF owls could read, they could do so in total darkness.

Powerful predators

These owls are powerful predators and will prey upon birds and mammals almost larger than themselves including raptors such as Ospreys, Peregrine falcons, and other owls. They will also prey on smaller animals such as mice, squirrels, chipmunks, and rats. Because they lack a sense of smell, they often prey upon skunks.

Almost every owl we have ever admitted due to injuries smelled like a skunk. They are the most common owls in North America, and they can be found in wetlands, forests, deserts, cities, and backyards.

Everything about these owls indicates that they are apex predators. They are covered in extremely soft feathers that insulate them against the cold winter weather and help them fly quietly in pursuit of prey.

The wing has a large surface area which results in the owl’s glide and flap are in total silence. This allows the owl to easily hear its prey while flying and allows it to drop down in “stealth” mode.

Birds of a feather

Named so because of the feathers that protrude from the top of their heads and because of their size. Great because of their size and “horned” because of the ear tufts. These feathers are called plumicorns which help with camouflage and communication.

These feathers are not horns as their name suggests and they don’t have anything to do with hearing or ears at all.

They have a distinct call in order to tell who is who. See what I did there? Female Great Horned owls are larger than the males, but the males have a larger voice box and a deeper voice. Males’ and females’ vocalizations can be heard throughout the forest for more than a quarter of a mile.

There are quite a few websites that offer ways to recognize and remember bird calls.

I must admit that the mnemonics help me to learn these birds’ vocalizations. The best reminder told to me was by a lifelong friend and birder. He said the three quick hoots followed by two shorter hoots almost sounds like “You awake? Me too!”

Their ears are located behind their eyes, hidden by the facial discs’ feathers. The hearing is extremely well developed — owls can hear sounds ten times better than humans!

I like telling people at birds of prey programs that if everyone is quiet, the owl can hear the heartbeats of the people in the very last row.

This adaptation allows sounds to be pinpointed with great accuracy and some scientists believe that they can hunt in complete darkness.

Tight grip

When clenched, these owls’ strong talons require a force of 30 pounds to open. But those clenched feet “ratchet” closed with more force than most humans are capable of exerting and pulling up on one toe causes the others to grip harder.

Any time one of these birds had a hold of my leather gloves, I just let it have them until it was ready to let go.

Females exert a force of approximately 1,400 pounds of pressure at the talon tips and males exert approximately 1,200 pounds of pressure at the talon tips!

I think one of the coolest words associated with these owls is regarding their talons: zygodactylism. Zygodactylism means that the feet possess two toes facing forward and two facing backward. They can move one of their back toes forward to perch or grasp prey with three toes facing forward and one facing backward. All owl species have feathered legs and feet, which provide insulation in cold climates and may add protection from biting prey.

Building families

These owls are the earliest of nesters and the males will start the mating process in the fall establishing the best territories to impress the females.

By December they begin to call to the female with a series of hoots and will call for up to six weeks in search of a mate.

They mate in January and eggs are then laid by February. The eggs are laid in an asynchronous fashion. The eggs hatch days apart rather than hatching at the same time. Incubation begins immediately rather than waiting until after the last egg is laid. As the earlier eggs were incubated and began their development sooner, eggs hatch over several days rather than all at once.

The female incubates the eggs for about a month, and the young owls (owlets) hatch and eventually start to venture away from the nest, exploring the area around their birthplace.

It is not until they reach 10 weeks of age that they “jump” to the ground to teach themselves to fly from the ground up. This adaptation makes a lot of sense because many prey items are on the ground and the young can also practice hunting.

The males and females still care for them so it is important for people to realize these owlets should be on the ground!

I cannot wait for next fall when I can listen to the call of the males as they begin this cycle all over again as they have for millions of years.

Jeannie Carl is a naturalist at the Carbon County Environmental Education Center in Summit Hill. The center rehabilitates injured animals and educates the public on a variety of wildlife found in the area. For information on the Carbon County Environmental Center, visit www.carboneec.org.