St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.A. - A wide-eyed visitor took in the House Environment and Natural Resources
Committee on Thursday (March 17) perched on glove hand.
Alice, a great horned owl from the Houston Nature Center, took center stage at
the committee because of legislation carried by Rep. Ray Cox, R-Northfield,
which will remove the owl from the list of unprotected birds in Minnesota.
Currently, great horned owls are the only predators found on the list of
unprotected birds, explained Karla Kinstler, a naturalist from the nature center.
Cox's bill would take the owl off the list.
Kinstler explained to the committee that because federal law has the great
horned owl as protected, and Minnesota law does not, confusion exists - even
within the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) - about the bird's legal status
in the state.
It's hoped the change in state law will lend the bird more protection.
Great horned owls, knicknamed "tigers with wings" because of their voracious
appetites and willingness to prey on larger mammals, even skunks, may measure
25-inches tall and weigh as much as five pounds.
They range from Alaska to the tip of South America.
A single great horned may eat as many as 4,000 mice a year, according to the
DNR.
Great horns nest in January to February, often taking over old crow or squirrel
nests.
Alice started her life a natural center owl by falling out of a rotting
squirrel's nest atop a pine tree in Wisconsin, permanently injuring herself in
the fall.
Great horns lay one to five eggs in March, with the chicks hatching about a
month later.
The owls are known for their memorable whoo-hoo-ho-o-o call.
They're also a bird of folklore, people walking through the dark woods becoming
alarmed and frightened by the distant sound of a crying child. The sound
actually comes from the owl.
Disclaimer: This article has been reproduced from http://www.hometownsource.com and placed here for comment.
OwlPages.com is not responsible for the accuracy of any information in this article, and does not necessarily agree with the author's opinions.
On 2012-01-22,
from guthrie okla wrote: "i have a horned owl nesting at the back of my property tryin to make sure the neighbor doesnt remove the tree not sure who i need to make aware of her (i enjoy her )thanks"
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