Great Horned Owl

Great Horned Owl artifact from the Provincial Museum - Kindergarten field trip

Bubba, the educational owl from the Alberta Injured Birds of Prey Society. Eva brought her into the Grade 1C Class at St. Monica School

You might think that Bubba's ears are up on the top of her head, but those are only feather tufts. Her ears are actually under the black curved lines on either side of her head.

Bubba's yellow eyes tell us that she is a night hunter and that she has excellent vision. Her sharp, curved beak tell us that she is carnivorous. 

Interesting things to know about the Great Horned Owl:

• They are Alberta's bird.

• They stay here all winter long.

• They swallow their prey in big chunks and digest everything except bones and fur. These are burped out (regurgitated) in a cylindrical form called an owl pellet. If you pick apart an owl pellet you will find all the bones of their prey to see what they ate.

• An owl's feathers are very soft and fluffy, especially good for keeping their babies warm in the freezing February days when they hatch. 

• An owl cannot fly very fast because of the type of feathers they have.

• They have keen hearing and when they locate a speedy mouse, they swoop down to grab it in its talons.

• If an owl swoops in front of your car, because it's not paying attention to the road, put it into a cardboard box so that it will not damage its feathers. The Society will try and help the owl heal, but feathers take over 6 weeks to grow back.