The Secret Lives of Owls

Anything that goes bump in the night scares the bejesus out of us, and that goes for owls. 

Owls have had plenty of time to get under our skin; fossil records date back 60 million years and Paleolithic era drawings of owls on cave walls in France represent some of the earliest recognizable avian drawings in the world. Throughout history and even pre-history these denizens of the dark have often been associated with death and dark powers.

Here in Western North Carolina, the ancient Cherokee called the great horned owl tsgill, a word that was also used for witch. But if you step back and shine a light on tsgill you won’t find a demon but, rather, a distinctively evolved creature that fits perfectly into the niche nature created for it—that of an apex nocturnal predator. The great horned owl stands nearly two feet tall with a wingspan between 3.5 and 4 feet. It can weigh up to 3.5 pounds.

It is our most widespread American owl, ranging from the tundra tree line on down to Central and South America. The great horned owl of the Southern Appalachians is a tawny chestnut color with black accents. The round facial disk housing its large, forward-facing golden eyes ranges from umber to bright ochre. The “horns”—which are actually tufts of feathers—mimic the overall body color and provide a distinctive silhouette. It is a truly beautiful creature.

But its beauty also adds to its functionality. Those large golden eyes give this predator great binocular vision, allowing it to judge size and distance. Great-horned owls feature large corneas, large pupils, and an abundance of “rod” or light-sensitive cells that allow them to see well in limited light situations. Their night vision is 30 times greater than ours. And if it’s still too dark to see, their asymmetrical ears give them 3-D hearing, allowing the creatures to zero in on their prey in total darkness.

To help it get close to its prey, the great horned owl’s primary flight feathers are fluted rather than solid (like most birds), allowing air to pass through so prey can’t hear the “flapping” of wings. And then there are the talons. Spread, their talons are four inches by eight inches, razor sharp, and driven by a force of 300 pounds per square inch. They can crush the spine of animals as large as groundhogs.

Great horned owls could be thought of as lazy when it comes to nesting because, rather than build nests, they usurp nests from other raptors such as hawks or ospreys, or they nest in cavities. They are so secure in their hunting abilities that they nest in the dead of winter, laying their eggs in January or February. And winter is the best time to listen for these nocturnal creatures, when they are talking to each other; you can actually tell the difference in the calls between males and females. The male calls in a low, short, four to five “hoots” (hoo-hoooo, hoo, hoo) and the female calls in six to eight hoots (hoo, hooo, hoo-hoo, hooo).

Just don’t call them witches—unless witches are that vehicle that allows us to appreciate the beauty of form and function in nature.