As you probably know by now, I try not to bring up the subject of cats unless I can point out something negative about them. I acknowledge that this is a bad habit and I promise to work on it. So, when I title this piece The Owl is a Pussycat I am making a dual feeble attempt at some wordplay in honor of the story of the Owl and the Pussycat (as in pea green boat fame) and to place the word “cat” in a positive manner without derisive comment. There, Ive done it. I truly believe everyone should love their cat to death.
Now, I need to explain how an owl can actually be a pussycat, because I want to write about owls not cats. In order to explain this phenomenon, I need only take you on a short field trip to show you a few Long-eared Owls roosting in a dense thicket at Lake Erie Metropark. These precise little owls overwinter in the park every year, but finding them is not an easy task. Take a look here and youll see one of the owls perching close to the gnarled trunk of a hawthorn tree. O.K., you probably cant see it very well even though it is dead center in the picture. Try this shot. That should be a bit better.
There are actually two owls in this view (there were three birds altogether). The one thing that is apparent (or not) on the bird on the middle right branch are its prominent ear tufts. These so-called ears are located close together and are held bolt upright when these owls are at rest giving them the appearance of a cat and the common name of cat owl. Some folks refer to these birds as lesser horned owls in order to contrast them with the much bigger great horned owls (which are appropriately named flying tigers after that much bigger member of the cat clan). Even though they bark like little dogs and who-who like miniature great-horned owls, I have to admit I like the name cat owl as a descriptive name. The reference to ears and horns is misplaced, as Ill explain in a moment.
Although its hard to tell from my photos, Long-eared Owls are only about 13-14 inches in length. They have rusty orange facial discs with a white feathered X separating two intense yellow eyes. The cream colored breast is heavily streaked and the light brown back is speckled with a confusing array of spots. One thing you can tell from my photos is that these stationary birds are masters of camouflage. Their subtle coloration and habit of roosting bolt upright enables them to blend into their surroundings.
Long-eared owls are uncommon but regular visitors to our part of the state. The species is found all over the world from northern Europe and Asia to North America. They are known to nest in western and northern Michigan, but only show up in the S.E. part of the state during the winter. These three birds showed up in late November and have been seen off and on for a week or so. Overwintering long-ears tend to roost together in groups of 3 to 15 birds or more and rarely sit it out alone. There is no socializing when in this daytime mode, just a mutual lethargic togetherness.
Cat owls are strict adherents to the night-hunters code and are the most nocturnal of our regional owls. Although they roost in thickets, they hunt exclusively over open areas and old-field habitats. Long pointed wings, spreading half a hoot over three feet, are marks of an open air flyer. Employing their excellent night vision and hearing, these birds seek their quarry by flying moth-like just over the weed tops. The horns or long-ears in question are simply feather tufts and play no role in hearing. The real ears are located alongside the facial discs in about the same location as your ears are. As in all owls, one ear opening is shaped differently than the other so as to respond to slight differences in sound direction producing an effect that has been described as binocular hearing.
Long-eared Owls simply love Meadow Voles and Deer Mice to death. The proof of their proficiency in this regard is expressed in the contents of their pellets. While roosting, the owls cough up pellets consisting of the bones and compacted hair of their prey. I once collected a seasons worth of pellets from one roosting site and examined the skeletal evidence of over 50 mice. The mix of long bones, tiny toe nails and even whiskers was peppered with larger skulls (see the carnage here). A closer look revealed mostly Meadow Vole skulls, but there are also quite a few Deer Mice and a token Short-tailed Shrew. Ive taken a moment to pose three of these skulls together, tooth side up, to give you an idea how these things are identified. In this picture, the shrew is on the left, the vole in the middle and the deer mouse on the right (note the difference in the teeth and the fact that the meat eating shrew has a lot more of them).
This trio of Saturday owls only stayed one day at the location where I took their portrait and left no fresh pellets, but I know their stay here will result in a similar harvest of rodent death. As mousers, long-eared owls best cats by a factor of ten. And cat hairballs and I say this only as a statement of fact and not as a negative statement – arent nearly as educational as those of the cat owl.
Once Upon A Michigan 