Have you heard their songs at night? One is a soft and soothing "hoo-h'HOO--hoo-hoo," the other a purr-like trill.

These pretty calls belong to two fierce hunters -- the Great Horned Owl and Eastern Screech Owl, both year-round residents of Southeast Texas.

The Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) is the largest and one of the most common owls in North America. Adults measure 18-25 inches, weigh 3 pounds, and have a 5 foot wingspread. The name comes from its most distinguishing feature -- prominent ear tufts that appear as "horns" on top of their heads.

The grip of the Great Horned Owl is believed to be more powerful than any other North American bird of prey. They hunt at night for rodents, squirrels, skunks, raccoons, armadillos, bats, other owls, snakes, turtles, lizards, frogs, and large insects. Their only natural enemies are other Great Horned Owls.

Owls cannot digest hair, bones or feathers. They regurgitate this part of their food as a pellet. You may find a pellet on the ground under a favorite roosting spot. Another way to spot a Great Horned Owl is to follow the mob of squawking crows! Crows congregate from long distances to mob owls, and may continue yelling at them for hours.

Great Horned Owls do more hooting in winter than any other time. It can be very easy to find out if they are nearby. Practice your hoot and give it a try on a still winter evening. Hoot, wait a few seconds, watch and listen, and try again. If there are any in the area, they are very likely to take notice and hoot back, or even fly over to see who's in their territory.

The Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio) is also known as the Little Horned Owl, Ghost Owl, Cat Owl, or Shivering Owl. Their main call is not a screech, but rather a mellow, muted trill. Another call, used during courtship, sounds like a horse whinny!

Like the Great Horned Owl, the Eastern Screech Owl has ear tufts and is overall gray-brown with yellow eyes. Their wings are broad and the head is held tucked in giving them a stubby appearance when flying.

Unlike the Great Horned Owl, Screech Owls are small: 8 inches in length, and weighing 7 ounces. They nest in tree cavities, favoring abandoned woodpecker nests.

Eastern Screech Owls hunt from dusk to dawn, with most hunting being done during the first four hours of darkness. (This summer, in my backyard, a family of four Screech Owls came out every evening at 8:30, first lining up in a row on the back fence before flying off to hunt.) Prey includes rodents, squirrels, bats, large flying insects, and other Screech Owls. Predators of Screech Owls include Great Horned Owls, raccoons, skunks, snakes, crows, and Blue Jays.

For more information on these awe-inspiring Owls, and to hear actual recorded hoots, visit http://www.owlpages.com and http://www.birds.cornell.edu.

Have fun exploring your own backyard!

© Carol Wells, 2008