Cam in the Classroom
Crozet Public Library
Page Turners Book Club
Crozet, Virginia
Thursday July 24, 2014
Comment From Crozet Library
Chapin, hello. We're here!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Hello and welcome!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
I'm so excited to answer your all of your questions!
Comment From Chris in Cato
Hello Page Turners!!
Comment From Pat, NJ
Welcome Page Turners.
Comment From Crozet Library
As you know, we read the book Poppy for our summer book club. So some of our questions will be based on that
book. 1st question. Do owls stay awake during the day ever? Our owl, Mr. Ocax did, just to catch a mouse named
Poppy.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
They sometimes do! Owls are often crepuscular meaning they are awake during dawn and dusk. Great Horned
Owls have also been known to hunt in broad daylight.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Though, they often prefer to hunt at night.
Comment From Crozet Library
Interesting! Mr. Ocax is/was a Great Horned Owl.
Cam in the Classroom: Crozet Library Book Club
Page 1
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Those big golden eyes of Mr. Ocax pictured on the cover of the book definitely given him fantastic night vision.
Comment from Crozet Library
How can owls see so good. They're way up high and the mouse is so far away and running so fast. How can they
see prey in the tall grass?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Great question! In our eyes as well as owl eyes, there are different types of cells. They are call rods and cones.
Rods help you tell the difference between light and dark and cones help you see color.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Owls have WAY more rods in their eyes and they also have a broader overlap of their right and left eye in their
range of vision.
Comment From Crozet Library - Ross & Jack
Tell us a little bit more about how they hunt.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Sure!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Owls will often perch in trees waiting for prey to come into range. They will actually use their keen hearing to
locate their prey. Their ears are very sensitive and aren't like ours. They are uneven and even different sizes!
Cam in the Classroom: Crozet Library Book Club
Page 2
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Owl Ears http://web.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/How_Owls_Hunt.html
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
They listen for their prey and can tell the difference in time when sound hits each ear. That helps them pinpoint
their prey.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
They will use their keen night vision to spot their prey and then they will swoop down silently!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Their feathers are special and have finger like projections on the end that decrease the amount sound makes as it
passes over the feathers.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Owl Feather under microscope x161 Cheryl Power. Science Photo LibraryCorbis
Cam in the Classroom: Crozet Library Book Club
Page 3
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Then they use their sharp talons to grab their prey. Their grip is VERY powerful!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Oh and if you really want to get into the nitty gritty on owl eyes, we have an archived class all about them! Here's
the link for future reading:
http://wildlifecenter.org/sites/default/files/PDFs/WCCS%20Owl%20Eyes%20031313.pdf
Comment From Crozet Library
Kind of sounds like what they said about Mr. Ocax - he's like a cat with wings.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Exactly! Great Horned Owls have the nickname "Tigers of the Sky". Pretty good name!
Comment From Crozet Library - Jack
Can owls really turn their heads 360 degrees?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
No, but they can turn it 270 degrees. So three quarters of the way. They have twice the number of neck bones that
we do--14 total!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The extra neck vertebrae give them that unique adaption.
Comment From Crozet Library - Jack
Do owls really eat their prey whole?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
If it is small enough they will. Great Horned Owls can eat some pretty large stuff. They have one of the most varied
diets among raptors found in North America. Their diet may include mice, woodchucks, bats, geese, songbirds,
lizards, snakes, frogs, insects, worms and other birds of prey.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
They also eat skunks. Birds have a very poor sense of smell.
Cam in the Classroom: Crozet Library Book Club
Page 4
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Except for vultures
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
But back to owls. If their prey is too big, they will tear it up using their sharp beaks.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Mother owls cut up food for their babies--just like what my mom used to do for me when I was little!
Comment From Crozet Library
Uggghhhhh, about the skunk! Awesome about the range that they can rotate their head! How old can a Great
Horned Owl live to be?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
In the wild, Great Horned Owls can live up to 15 years. Captivity can increase their lifespan dramatically. There
have been some that lived into their late twenties.
Comment From Crozet Library
Are vultures birds of prey or considered to be scavengers?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
They are birds of prey that happen to be scavengers.
Comment From Crozet Library - Lucy
How long can an owl fly until it gets tired?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Owls aren't distance flyers like some other birds. They tend to be more sedentary. They actually don't migrate
during the winter. If you look at an owl foot, it's covered in feathers. The feathers help keep the owl's feet warm in
the winter--kinda like fuzzy slippers!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Here at the Wildlife Center, we put our patients through flight conditioning. To pass, they need to go 15 times end
to end. Our largest flight pen is 105 feet.
Cam in the Classroom: Crozet Library Book Club
Page 5
Comment From Crozet Library - Eleri
In Poppy, Mr. Ocax is killed when he flies into a salt lick block. Could this really happen? How do most owls get
hurt/killed?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
If an owl struck it hard enough, it could break its neck and die. Many of the owls that come to the Center have
been hit by cars. They are often attracted to roadsides by prey that is eating litter that has been tossed from
people's cars.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Critters don't need litter!
Comment From Crozet Library - Adley
We almost have to go but one more question. Mr. Ocax is afraid of a fake owl. Are owls afraid of other birds?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
They can be! Barred Owls tend to stay away from areas where Great Horned Owls live. Also if another owl comes
into a territory, the defending owl may respond to intruders and other threats with bill-clapping, hisses, screams,
and guttural noises, eventually spreading their wings and striking with their feet if the threat escalates.
They may kill other members of their own species. So definitely something to be afraid of!
Comment From Crozet Library - Page Turners!
Thank you so much, Chapin! It was really interesting being able to ask you questions. We learned an awful lot in a
very short time.
Cam in the Classroom: Crozet Library Book Club
Page 6
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
It was my pleasure!
Cam in the Classroom: Crozet Library Book Club
Page 7