By Amber Prinkey
Ghosts and goblins, jack o’ lanterns and black cats, these are some of the symbols of Halloween. But whoooooo’s the featheriest of them all? The owl! Here at Sawgrass Nature Center, we’ve got several species of owls, all rescued because of injuries. Let’s learn a little about each one so you can pick your favorite then come visit us to see it in person!
Great Horned Owl
Our largest owl here in Florida, the Great Horned Owl is also called “Tiger of the sky” for their ability to use their keen hunting skills to capture prey. This is pretty ironic considering the GHO we have here at the nature center is named “Pollo” (Spanish for chicken)! Pollo was named at his previous facility, Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland, FL, for his timid nature.
Barred Owl
Barred owls get their name from the vertical bars on their abdomen and the horizontal bars on their chest. They make the call that sounds like “Who cooks for you?” We’ve got two Barred owls and we are looking forward to them getting a habitat update soon!
Burrowing Owl
Burrowing owls are a mostly terrestrial species (on the ground). Instead of living in trees they spend time in burrows AND they are diurnal (awake during the day) instead of nocturnal!
If you can’t make it to SNC to see Spike, our burrowing owl, check out Project Perch for a live webcam of burrowing owls https://www.browardaudubon.org/project-perch.html
Eastern Screech Owl
Eastern Screech owls are our smallest owl native to Florida and our most abundant owl here at the nature center. Most of our tiny owls have eye or wing injuries, possibly from being hit by cars. We can help all owls by not throwing trash on the side of the road which attracts mice which then attracts owls.
As we celebrate Halloween this year, we can thank owls big and small for their help controlling our pest populations. Since owls are adorable, I’m sure no one will have a problem with this. But there’s another critter that helps with pest control that some people do not find so adorable. Keep reading our blogs to learn more!