We've got some stellar owls today! All 4 up for battle are some of my very favorites. Let's meet them now!
For many here, the Great Horned will need no introduction. For so much of both American continents, this is one of the biggest, toughest birds around. It fights eagles, it cares nothing for the armor of porcupines or the chemical warfare of skunks as it is largely immune to both of them, making the GHO one of the few natural predators they have, and that resonant hoot that travels huge distances is a sound we all learn when we are young and still cherish in our later years as a requisite part of the night soundscape.
It is a large owl, with a crushing grip, estimated up to 500 psi, a clamping force higher than all but the largest military dogs' jaws. It hunts whatever it wants, up to smaller turkeys.
While color variations change with the area and climate they live in, they all look great, and those massive feet, large yellow eyes, and large plumicorns help them strike a dramatic figure. Can this apex predator win the day?
The Sooty Owl is less known, living in some areas of Australia and New Guinea. They live in rainforest or eucalyptus forest.
They are medium, dark colored owls, with a pattern of white spots that give a feeling of staring into deep space. Their calls are long screeches of a descending tone, typically referred to as a "falling bomb" sound. They hunt all types of small land or arboreal mammals.
They are thought to be the 2nd largest of the barn owl genus, Tyto, being just smaller than the Tasmanian Masked Owl.
Will this dark stranger beat out the icon of the Americas? Vote now!
I share a little of my personal opinions in once matches are over. There are always outcomes that surprise me.
I try to not influence them while they are running. Like anyone, I have my favorites and ones that don't really excite me, but the game is for you guys, not me. I have the rest of the year to highlight things I like or to show you things I think you might like, but Owl of the Year is a time for you all, the ones that comment and the lurkers, to show me what you like.
If you guys are bored of something, or if the bulk of you are all of a sudden into more rare owls, this lets me know.
I am thoroughly enjoying the Burrowing Owl campaign. I don't understand why they perform so poorly in OoTY, it is very odd. They must be easy to find bc they're in every nature documentary, maybe they're too well known, like Snowy, and this comm is more enchanted by the strigiformes they have less experience with. My big idea is that BO is playing a totally different game. They play a team sport, most owls play singles or doubles tennis, BO plays mesomerican ball game or Rugby, hacky sac? They don't even live around trees. Maybe the most expressive body language? Which is probably due to the social creatures with whom they coexist. They're crust punk squatters and don't even care about competition anyway.
#teamBuffy
Yup, Burrow Owl results constantly confuse me. They're some of the most popular the rest of the year and have lots of crossover success in the meme world, and its cousin the Little Owl did so well this year. It is one of life's great mysteries.
And they do like trees fwiw, another cat-like feature of owls is they often enjoy sitting at the highest spot available.