Bird

CLASS: Aves
ORDER: Strigiformes
FAMILY: Strigidae

SIZE:
17 to 18 inches in length and weighing 1 lb.; wingspan if up to 43 inches

RANGE:
From southern Canada to southern Chile and from the east to west coast in the Western Hemisphere.

HABITAT:
Trees, abandoned burrows and buidings, old abandoned farm machinery in temperate forests and grasslands.

DIET:
Wild - Carnivorous, preferring small rodents; other small mammals
Zoo - Bird of prey diet

DESCRIPTION:
Red brown speckled wings with white body, distinctive heart shaped face; sharp talons and hooked beak. Camouflage helps owl hide during the day.

ADAPTATIONS:
Nocturnal and arboreal

Will hunt during the day when feeding young

Serrated flight feathers muffle the sound of the wings; short feathers on the side of the head form a groove that directs sound waves into the ear opening

Sharp talons for seizing and holding prey

Hooked beak for tearing meat

Eyes in front allow depth perception and aids in hunting and avoiding obstacles; neck can turn up to 270 degrees.

ENEMIES:
Great Horned Owl

YOUNG:
Two broods each year, in early spring and late summer; 4 - 7 eggs hatch after several weeks

Both parents brood and feed the altricial young; male bringing food to female

Young mature in 10 - 12 weeks

STATUS:
CITES App. II; Protected in the U.S.; suffers from loss of habitat

REFERENCE:
Lincoln Park Zoo Internet Web Site, animal fact sheet -- http://www.lpzoo.com