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Great Horned Owl under goes treatment for malnutrition at the Witter Wildlife Refuge.
Photo by Author
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Words For Wildlife
by State licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator, James Orr
GREAT HORNED OWL
I am currently working with a rescued Great Horned Owl. He was too weak to fly and extremely malnourished at the time I picked him up. He was also infested with flat flies a nasty parasite fly that lives under the feathers and saps the owls strength with very painful bites.
Normally when a bird is rescued we try to give it two injections, one for shock and the other a general purpose antibiotic. This particular owl was so thin I could not find enough meat on his body to insert the hypodermic. The flies also flew out from under his wings and attacked me ever time I tried to handle him.
I was advised to get rid of the parasites first as they can weaken a bird to the point other treatments could be to no avail.
As I handled the owl alone I kept reminding myself to be very wary of both his flesh tearing beak and his powerful talons. The talons are capable of exerting up to 500 pounds of pressure per square inch and his spiked beak can break and devour bones and skulls of small animals. I was able to get the appropriate flea powder applied to him without loosing any appendages of value.
My first thought was that this owl had contracted the West Nile Virus. The conditions and symptoms can be very similar although a bird with the virus often refuses to eat. Owls have a disproportionate amount of West Nile virus fatalities due to the fact they feed on other birds increasing their risk of contact with every bird they eat.
As it turned out this bird was simply malnourished. Overly weak and dehydrated birds cannot eat solid food. Even if one is lucky enough to get it down it will simply come right back up. The first few meals I fed this poor guy was the equivalent of a raw chicken shake (not a big seller at the local soda fountain). Owls rarely if ever drink water getting all of their fluid needs from the prey they eat. As such feeding a chicken shake or any fluid for that matter could drown a bird not use to taking fluids. All went surprisingly well with this patient and he was ready for his normal diet of mice, small mammals, reptiles and small birds within a few days.
Captive owls often refuse to eat white mice as they have never seen them in the wild. I make a habit of freezing any unfortunate mouse trap victims for special dinner guest such as this owl and had three ready rodents in the fridge. A young owl this size eats three to five mice a day so I had to run to the store to stock up on mouse meat. Believe it or not there is a company called “Gourmet Rodent” that sells frozen gray mice by the dozen. I also collect fresh road kill such as squirrels and rabbits. Beware house guests, if you raid my refrigerator for a midnight snack you might get more than you bargained for.
Great Horned Owls are found throughout North America. The adults are ferocious hunters and can carry off prey up to three times their own weight. They have been called “Tigers of the sky” and unlike other birds owls fly almost silently with no flutter of wings. Their flight feathers are much softer than other birds allowing them the stealth of silent flight.
Prey includes rodents, squirrels, skunks, raccoons, armadillos, porcupines, domestic cats and dogs, shrews, moles, muskrats, bats, all other Owls (except Snowy Owl), grouse, woodpeckers, crows, turkeys, pigeons, Red-tailed Hawks, Great Blue Heron, ducks, swans, gulls, snakes, turtles, lizards, young alligators, frogs, toads, salamanders, fish, large insects, scorpions, centipedes, crayfish, worms, spiders, and road killed animals. Most prey is killed instantly when hit by the impact of the diving owl and powerful talons. They eat smaller prey whole and tend to pluck feathers from bird prey before eating.
Female Great Horned Owls are 10 to 20% larger than the males. Owls are primarily nocturnal and have incredible vision. If a person had the equivalent eye sight they could read a newspaper by candle light from the far end of a football stadium.
The Great Horned Owl is the largest of the owls growing to a height of over two feet tall with a wingspan up to five feet.
Owls are very kind to their mate, they bow to each other, with drooped wings rub bills and preen each other. They are extremely aggressive when defending the nest and will continue to attack until the intruder is killed or driven off.
They do not build their own nest but utilize nests of other birds and have even been know to chase eagles off their nest. They may also use squirrel nests, hollow trees, caves, and abandoned buildings.
In captivity an owl might live almost 40 years. In the wild 13 years is about the limit. Most owl deaths are related to man (shootings, traps, road kills and power line electrocutions). The only natural enemy is other Great Horned Owls. Occasionally disputes over nest sites with Northern Goshawks result in an owl death.
Owls are protected by both Federal and State laws. It is illegal to hunt or possess an owl in any way.
DONATIONS NEEDED If you would like to help any donation amount it is greatly appreciated. Donations should be made out to Witter Wildlife Refuge and can be sent to P.O. Box 1118, Huntsville AR 72740.
See web page under "HOW YOU CAN HELP" for specific ways you can help us help wildlife
