Owls - Birds of Prey

Life Science - Middle School

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The Great Gray owl is one of the largest owls. It measures up to 29 inches long. Its body is dark gray with streaks of light gray. Its head is rounded, lacks ear tufts and has a large well defined facial disk with dark gray concentric circles surrounding the eyes. Great gray owls inhabit dense forests and prey on small mammals and birds. A Great Horned owl measures up to 23 inches long. It is readily identified by its prominent dark ear tufts pointed toward the sides of the head, reddish facial disk and yellow eyes. Great horned owls inhabit forests, swamps, orchards and even deserts. They prey on birds, large insects, mice and rabbits. The Long-Eared owl is a slender bird measuring up to 14 inches in length with long ear tufts near the middle of its head. Its upper body is dark brown with speckles of white and barring on the abdomen. It is commonly found in wooded areas and preys on small mammals. A Short-Eared owl measures up to 14 inches long. It is lightly colored with a large rounded head and small ear tufts that are hardly visible. Its upper body is yellowish to buff color with brown streaks on the crown, neck and back and barring on the wings. Short-eared owls inhabit grasslands, marshes, and farmland. They prey mainly on mice and voles. A Barred owl measures up to 20 inches long. The barring of the head, neck and breast feathers forms the appearance of wearing a collar. Barred owls have a facial disk with concentric circles around the eyes. Its abdomen is white with dark brown vertical streaks. They are commonly found in swamps and dense forests and prey mainly on mice, fish, frogs, insects and small birds. A Barn owl is a bird of prey adapted to live near humans. It has a round head without ear tufts and a heart-shaped white face. Barn owls nest in silos, barns and other buildings in rural areas. They prey almost exclusively on mice and other small rodents, making them excellent pest control. Like all owls, they have superb hearing giving them the ability to hunt prey by sound alone. Great Gray Owl Great Horned Owl Long-Eared Owl Short-Eared Owl Barred Owl Barn Owl Great Gray, Long-eared & Barr ed owl photos; Copyright © E ducational Images Ltd., Elmira, NY, USA. All right reserved - used by permission. Barn owl; Copyright © K aren Arnold/Dreamstime.com Short-eared owl & Gr eat Horned owl photos; courtesy of USFWS. Owls - Birds of Prey www.newpathlearning.com © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. 94-4611
Great Gray Owl Great Horned Owl Long-Eared Owl Short-Eared Owl Barred Owl Barn Owl Great Gray, Long-eared & Ba rred owl photos; Copyright © E ducational Images Ltd., Elmira, NY, USA. All right reserved - used by permission. Barn owl; Copyright © K aren Arnold/Dreamstime.com Short-eared owl & Gr eat Horned owl photos; courtesy of USFWS. Describe this owl. __________________ __________________ ___________________ Where does it live? _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ What does it eat? _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ Describe this owl. ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ Where does it live? ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ What does it eat? _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ Describe this owl. _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ Where does it live? _____________________ ____________________ ____________________ What does it eat? ____________________ ____________________ _____________________ Describe this owl. __________________________ __________________________ ________________________ Where does it live? _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ What does it eat? ____________________ ___________________ ___________________ Describe this owl. _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ Where does it live? ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ What does it eat? _______________________ ________________________ _________________________ Describe this owl. _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ Where does it live? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ What does it eat? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ Owls - Birds of Prey www.newpathlearning.com © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. 94-4611 \|xiBAHBDy01766qzZ