Tawny owl - the silent killer (From Burnley and Pendle Citizen)

Tawny owl - the silent killer

10:29am Monday 16th February 2009 in Leisure By Ron Freethy

The tawny owl has often been described as a cat with wings and because of the way it perches it looks very human-like.

It has huge dark eyes which prove that it is able to see in very dark areas which is ideal for a nocturnal hunter.

The feature which is less obvious is that the tawny owl has very efficient ears.

These are situated at different levels so that they give stereo hearing and proves that the bird hunts as much by sound as it does by flight.

The main item of diet of the tawny consists of small mammals such as voles and mice but it will also eat small birds.

Because all of these creatures have excellent hearing the tawny owl has another adaption.

The feathers on its wings are so soft that the bird can fly almost silently and can thus catch its prey unawares.

Owls more often than not swallow their prey whole and later they regurgitate the bones and other hard items in the form of pellets.

These are easily found beneath the tress where owls roost.

These can be soaked in mild disinfectant and pulled apart with tweezers to see the skulls of mice or the beaks of birds.

Playing a game of nature detective is great fun for naturists whatever age they may be.

Breeding in the case of the tawny owl can begin as early as February and the winter is a time to hear the birds.

The old birds are chasing away their young from last year, telling them to go away and fend for themselves, when the parents are doing a spot of courting themselves.

The favourite nesting sites are trees but where tree sites are in short supply they will nest on the ground and even in old rabbit holes.

Throughout England and especially East Lancashire the tawny will nest in crevices, in old buildings but the surprise is that the species does not occur in Ireland.

When you see a tawny owl head on their seems to be a lighter coloured disc around the forehead area.

This facial disc works like a reflector and focuses sound into the ears.

The next time you look at your posh and expensive ‘sound surround’ give some thought to the owl, this creature invented the area long before ‘Adam was nought but a lad’.