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Great Horned OwlsA Raptor Trust Story & Workbook

Great horned owls are the largestand most common owl that we havein New Jersey. Great Horned Owlsbelong to a group of birds calledraptors. Raptors are birds that huntfor their food and include hawks,owls, eagles, falcons and vultures. Allraptors have sharp, hooked beaks,strong talons and excellent eyesight.

The Raptor Trust is home to a few GreatHorned Owls. One of our residents, Uggla,just celebrated his 40th birthday. Thismakes him one of the oldest Great HornedOwls ever recorded! "Uggla" means "owl" inSwedish.

Uggla was brought to us during thesummer of 1980 as a baby. He wasfound after he fell from his nest. Thepeople who found him kept him for alittle while, before realizing that theycould not care for him. They broughthim to the Raptor Trust, but he wasalready imprinted, or very used topeople. A bird that is imprinted is notable to be released into the wild. Ugglalives at the Raptor Trust and delightsvisitors with his antics and hoarse hoots.

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Great Horned Owls can be found across North America in a wide varietyof habitats, from forests and swamps to orchards and farmland, and evendeserts. Their territory, or home range, usually includes some openareas and some wooded areas. They nest very early in the year, starting inFebruary. They do not build their own nests, but instead use a leftovernest from an eagle, hawk or even a crow. They will also use tree cavities,and in the desert, they have been known to nest inside cacti.

Great Horned Owls are nocturnal, which means they are active mostlyat night. They eat a wide variety of foods, essentially anything they canget their talons on. They've been known to eat anything from tinyrodents, to geese, rabbits, other birds - and even skunks. An adult GreatHorned Owl only weighs about 2 pounds, but they are so strong andfierce they are able to catch and kill prey that is three times as heavy asthey are! They are very ferocious hunters, but don't worry- they don'thave any interest in your little dog! They recognize that a dog is also apredator and do want to engage with one. During the day the owls roost, or rest,in trees, relying on their camouflage tohide them. Their feather tufts comeup and they sit still for hours andhours, trying to blend in, so that theycan sleep without being bothered.

Great Horned OwlsCircle the words from the word bank.

Great Horned OwlsCircle all the nests a Great Horned Owl would like to use.

Great Horned OwlsFill out the crossword puzzle using the clues.

Draw a GreatHorned Owl

Great Horned Owl Answer Key

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