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City Owls

Whooo is in your urban area?
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Great Horned Owl perched on railing in urban area
© Bill Weaver

Some owls, like Barred Owls and Great Horned Owls, live in the city. As hunters, they find a lot to eat in the city — like rats or squirrels! Both favor urban parks, cemeteries, and botanical gardens — places with big trees — and both roost during the day. The Great Horned Owl, like this one, might appear like an enormous housecat sitting upright. The Barred Owl often perches down low, where it’s easy to spot.

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BirdNote®

City Owls

Written by Bob Sundstrom
 
This is BirdNote.
[Barred Owl duet, https://macaulaylibrary.org/audio/175898, 0.36-.41]
You don't need to travel to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – or even to a remote forest – to see owls. Some owls – including big birds like Barred Owls and Great Horned Owls – live in the city. Owls are hunters, and there’s a lot to eat in the city — like rats or even squirrels!
Great Horned Owls favor urban parks, cemeteries, and botanical gardens, places with big trees. They are huge owls with pointy ear-like tufts, and they roost during the day in trees and hunt at night over open areas nearby. Look for something shaped like an enormous house cat sitting upright on a branch. At night, listen for these mellow hoots:
[Great Horned Owl pair, https://macaulaylibrary.org/audio/50548, 0.16-.21]
Barred Owls sound rowdy by comparison.
[Barred Owl duet, https://macaulaylibrary.org/audio/175898, 0.36-.41]
The Barred Owl also likes parks, especially with open spaces below the trees, because it hunts mostly inside the woods. It’s big, too, with a smoothly rounded head, and it sometimes perches down low where it’s easy to spot.
We hope you can find owls near where you live. Take a pair of binoculars, so you can watch them at a distance that’s comfortable for you – and for the owl.
[Barred Owl duet, https://macaulaylibrary.org/audio/175898, 0.36-.41]
If you ever miss a BirdNote, you can always get the latest episode. Just tell your smart speaker: Play the podcast BirdNote. Learn more on our website, BirdNote.org.
                                        ###
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Recorded by Gregory F Budney and David S Herr.
BirdNote’s theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
Producer: John Kessler
Managing Producer: Jason Saul
Associate Producer: Ellen Blackstone
Assistant Producer: Mark Bramhill
© 2017 Tune In to Nature.org  November 2017/2019  Narrator: Michael Stein

ID#   owl-09 -2017-11-13  owl-09        

Bob Sundstrom
Writer
Michael Stein
Narrator
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Tagsraptor urban owl

Related Resources

Great Horned Owl – More at Audubon’s Guide to North American BirdsBarred Owls – More at Audubon’s Guide to North American BirdsHow to find owls in your town or cityFun owl facts

More About These Birds

Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)

Bubo virginianus

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