Owls of Pennsylvania
Mystery tends to surround animals that are most active at night. While scientists are constantly learning more about the adaptations and behaviors of nocturnal creatures, the majority of us are not in-tune with the rhythms of the night, giving an air of intrigue to the critters that feed, fly, and flit about under the cover of darkness.
This includes owls, which have been acknowledged over the centuries and across cultures as symbols of wisdom and knowledge. Since they can see well in the dark with their piercing eyes, the belief is that they can see beyond deceit and illusion to access hidden truths. In Greek mythology, Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, is often depicted with an owl on her shoulder. In Native American culture, owls are often revered for wisdom, intuition, and connection to the spirit world. In Japanese culture, owls represent good luck and protection, but in some cultures, owls are associated with death and “dark magic.”
Characteristics of Owls
Regardless of how you view them, owls are amazing birds. They have excellent camouflage for roosting during the day and feeding at night. Their dense, soft feathers have serrated edges that diffuse wind resistance and silence their flight. Feathery legs insulate and offer protection from prey, which is secured through keen eyesight, exceptional hearing, and razor-sharp talons.
As with most birds of prey, females are larger than males, and females may have a higher pitched voice than males. Owls vocalize to declare territory and to attract or communicate with their mate or offspring. Some species may hiss or snap their beak together when they’re cornered and scared.
Owls are hard to spot. One way to find them is to look for owl pellets or castings—the regurgitated parts of their prey that they couldn’t digest, such as fur and bones. With one or two castings generated a day, you can often find them under owls’ daytime roosts or nighttime feeding stations. A fantastic educational activity is to dissect an owl pellet and compare the bones found to charts of common prey to see what the owl had for dinner!
Birds of Prey
Owls have more rods than cones in their big, fixed eyes. Rods are the eye structures that are sensitive to light, while cones differentiate colors. The Pennsylvania Game Commission website says owls’ eyes are 35–100 times more efficient at gathering light than human eyes! Because the position of their eyes is fixed (no eye rolls here), owls must swivel their heads to see, with some species capable of rotating their heads a whopping 270 degrees (three-quarters of a circle). Also, several owl species have asymmetrical ears—meaning one ear is higher than the other—helping them home in on prey, especially at night.
Rodents—mice, rats, and voles—are a common prey item; however, larger owls may also feed on larger mammals like rabbits, skunks, songbirds, and even other owls. A few species, like the Eastern Screech Owl, are so agile, they can nab a bat on the wing. Insects, amphibians, and reptiles also fill owl bellies.
Owls of Pennsylvania
Owls are early nesters and several species will use an existing tree cavity while others, like great horned or long-eared owls, will take over stick-nests constructed by hawks or crows. Great horned owls may begin laying eggs as early as February, while most other species in Pennsylvania begin in March. A clutch often consists of 3–5 white, rounded eggs that may be laid over the course of two weeks. Incubation begins immediately, resulting in offspring of vastly different sizes, which doesn’t always bode well for the youngest.
There are eight species of owls found in Pennsylvania. Three of them are permanent residents: Barred Owl, Eastern Screech Owl, and Great Horned Owl. The other five are considered migratory: American Barn Owl, Long-eared Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Short-eared Owl and Snowy Owl.
Attracting Owls to Your Yard
To attract owls to your yard, it is important to have nest cavities and prey for them. Dead standing trees called snags are great for providing nesting sites, as well as perches from which owls may survey the landscape. Some species will use man-made nesting boxes when appropriately placed. Brush and wood piles attract mice and other small mammals, which in turn attract owls and yes, other predators.
It is also important to limit outdoor lighting, which can blind owls, and reduce your dawn and dusk activities, since many owls are most active then. Discourage bluejays, crows, grackles, and starlings that harass owls by excluding cracked corn and peanuts from your bird feed.
Finally, please don’t use pesticides to control rodents. Rodenticides, most of which kill mice and rats slowly by preventing their blood to coagulate, thus causing internal bleeding, can bioaccumulate in owls—and other animals—and kill them in the same manner.
You are more apt to hear rather than see an owl and so it is helpful to learn their calls. The Cornell Lab’s All About Birds website or their Merlin application, which can be downloaded from your app store, are excellent places to hear and begin learning owl vocalizations. Then, embrace the night and listen for owls all around you, even in the suburbs and city parks.
Resources
1 Justo. “Understanding Native Owl Symbolism: Mystical Meanings & Cultural Significance!” Native Tribe Info. 3 February 2024.
2 “Mystical Owls: Unveiling their Role in Japanese Mythology.” The Owls Life.
3 “Owls Wildlife Note.” Pennsylvania Game Commission.
Header image: Barred Owl, Credit: Mdf via Wikimedia Commons