ANATOMY OF BIRDS
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION
MIGRATIONS OF BIRDS
CLASSIFICATION OF BIRDS
LIZARD-TAILED BIRD
AMERICAN TOOTHED-BIRDS
THE OSTRICHES
THE RHEAS
EMEUS AND CASSOWARIES
THE TINAMOUS
THE KIWIS
THE PENGUINS
LOONS AND GREBES
ALBATROSSES & PETRELS
STORK-LIKE BIRDS
GOOSE-LIKE BIRDS
FALCON-LIKE BIRDS
FOWL-LIKE BIRDS
CRANE-LIKE BIRDS
PLOVER-LIKE BIRDS
CUCKOO-LIKE BIRDS
THE ROLLER-LIKE BIRDS
SPARROW-LIKE BIRDS
Birds and Birding's Guide to:
Watching THE ROLLER-LIKE BIRDS
THE ROLLERS AND THEIR ALLIES
THE OWLS
Horned Owl Descritpion
The Great Horned Owl is a resident wherever found and is one of the earliest breeders among the birds, the mating season beginning in midwinter while the ground is still covered with snow and ice.
Whenever possible a hollow tree is selected for the nesting site, but when this is unavailable the old nest of a Hawk or Crow may be taken, and in exceptional instances they may construct their own nest, or place the eggs on a ledge of rock or the ground. They are devoted and courageous in the defense of their nests and young, and more than one would-be despoiler has been forced to beat a hasty retreat to keep out of reach of the sharp and powerful talons.
The eggs are usually two or three in number and about 2.20 by 1.80 inches in size. To show that the young are well provided for, we may quote from a description of the food found in a nest which contained two young Owls: “A mouse, a young muskrat, two eels, four bullheads, a wood-chuck, four Ruffed Grouse, one rabbit, and eleven rats, in all weighing about eighteen pounds.”The common call which is most frequently uttered is a deep-toned whoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, whooo, whooo.”Aside from these, they have several others, one a cat-like squeal or cry like waah-hee, and again a series of yelps, similar to the barking of a dog."
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