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The great horned owl is a very majestic and secretive bird. It lives in America in hollows of trees. The great horned owl is a rather tall bird. It varies in size from 18-25 inches tall and has a wing-span of 60inches. Most great horned owls are brown and white which helps when hiding in trees and branches. One of the most identifying characteristics of the great horned owl is its ear tufts which are actually feathers that come to a point on the top of its head and look like horns. That is how it got its name. A great horned owl's voice is very much like we would expect it to be. It's a classic "hoot-owl". It has a deep voice and it calls hoo, hoo or a couple of other calls. They eat small rodents and birds. |
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While visiting the Utica Zoo we observed our animal up close. We found that the owl is a very curious bird and is always looking around. We also noticed that it does not like to be on the ground because that is when it is most vulnerable. When it is in the air, not may things can get to it to hurt it. We noticed that when it first came from its cage it made a hissing noise because it was nervous, but when it got more comfortable it was quieter and made more of a hooting noise. |
Owls are usually out at night. They are nocturnal consumers and they eat small rodent-like animals. Great horned owls like both the coniferous and deciduous forest of North and South America. They live in hollows of trees. |
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The great horned owls have many ways of adapting to their surroundings. They don't hibernate or migrate and they live basically alone. They have great camouflage and sharp beaks and claws for tearing their food apart. Their fringed feathers on their wings helps them to fly silently and sneak up on their prey. Great horned owls also have very keen eyesight to help them spot their prey from far away. |
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A major change in the environment that has affected the great horned owl's habitat along with other birds of prey is a chemical called DDT. DDT was a chemical put on plants to keep bugs away. It did keep the bugs away but not the rodents who like to eat the plants. When the rodents ate the plants the chemical got in their body tissue and when the owls ate the rodents, DDT got into theirs. When the owls tried to lay their eggs the shells were weak because of the chemical, so when the mother sat on the eggs they would break. At one time owls were almost extinct, now they are coming back because America has banned the use of DDT. |
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"Great Horned Owls" Great Horned Owls. URL: http://www.com/~laurag/ghowl.html |