American Barn Owl

Family Tytonidae, Tyto alba

The barn owl is known by many nicknames, including sweetheart owl, ghost owl, and monkey-faced owl. They stand 16 inches tall and have a wingspan of 2.5 feet.

Owls are silent flyers because they have fringes on the front edge of their wings which quiet the passing air. Barn owls do not build a nest; instead they will nest in cavities or barns. The American Barn Owl is endangered in 7 midwestern states.

Name: Abby

Sex: Female

Hatched: 2002

Personality: She loves people and is a beautiful flyer.

Name: Stardust

Sex: Male

Hatched: unknown

Personality: He worked in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the Milwaukee County Zoo

Name: Dawn

Sex: Female

Hatched: 2001

Personality: She worked at Bush Gardens in Tampa, Florida.

She doesn't like skirts.

Name of Bird: Luna

Sex: Male

Hatched: January 30, 1995

Weight: 1 lb

Why is the bird here? Born at WBS, and raised for educational purposes.

Personality: He is afraid of pouring water. For a barn owl, he’s generally very quiet.

What does this bird do in the show: He flies out of a box to the speaker and then flies glove to glove.

Name of Bird: Moonshine

Sex: Male

Hatched: unknown

Personality: A very talented owl, he gets treats by using his excellent hearing to locate a sound recording of crickets during shows.

European Barn Owl

Name: Tobin

Sex: Male

Hatched: 2003 right here at WBS

Personality: He has the distinction of being the first European barn owl flown for WBS shows.

Eastern Screech Owl

Family Strigidae, Otus asio

The eastern screech owl stands about 8.5 inches tall and has a wingspan of 20 inches! There are two color phases, red and grey, but both have beautiful yellow eyes. Their "ear" tufts help them hide from predators by disguising them as a broken branch.

Name: Acorn (red phase)

Sex: Male

Hatched: 1995

Personality: Loves to whistle and talk to his other Eastern Screech Owl friends.

Name: Twig (grey phase)

Sex: Male

Hatched: 1993

Personality: He became orphaned when the dead tree that held his nest was cut down. Loves to whistle and has been on television.

Name of Bird: Timber (red phase)

Sex: Male

Hatched: unknown

Weight: 143 g

Why is the bird here? He suffered an injured wing when his tree was cut down

Personality: has small owl complex: jumps when picking up or putting down

What does this bird do in the show: Posing area

Name of Bird: Blinker (red phase)

Sex: unknown

Hatched: 2002

Weight: 165 g

Why is the bird here? His nest was destroyed in a storm. He was brought in to our rehabilitation department.

Personality: Mostly a quiet bird, he will sometimes trill on the glove.

What does this bird do in the show? He is walked on stage.

Eurasian Eagle Owl

Family Strigidae, Bubo bubo

The Eurasian eagle owl is one of the largest owls in the world, standing 24-28 inches tall with a wingspan in excess of 5 feet! In England, these owls were nearly hunted to extinction in the late 19th century. The oldest recorded eagle owl lived to be 68 years old. An eagle owl weighing 6.5 - 8.5 pounds can take prey as large as a roe deer weighing 28-30 pounds.

Name: Bogart

Sex: Male

Hatched: 1997

Personality: Named after the Executive Director’s wife’s maiden name. He's a very cute bather.

Name: Trevor

Sex: Male

Hatched: 2001

Personality: Loves to "Hoot" a lot, very courteous bird, he steps gingerly.

Name: Xena

Sex: Female

Hatched: 1999

Personality: She’s been in the Rose Bowl Parade with the World Bird Sanctuary’s Executive Director. She worked at Bush Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia. She is also in our Christmas is for the Birds program.

Name: Caution

Sex: Male

Hatched: 1987

Weight: 4 lbs

Why is the bird here? Bred for education.

Personality: Super flyer! He and another eagle owl, K.C., came to us together, in crates marked Caution! Keep Cool!, which is how they got their names.

Name: Hunter

Sex: Male

Hatched: 3-11-2001

Weight: 4 lbs, 5.1oz

Why is the bird here? Bred for education, he was named by Linda Tossing who won the right in an auction to raise money for the Wildlife Hospital.

Personality: Very quiet and patient, fascinated by grackles.

What does this bird do in the show: Display bird.

Great Horned Owl

Family Strigidae, Bubo virginianus

The great horned owl is the second largest owl in North America. They stand about 2 feet tall and have a wingspan about 4 feet wide. They live in habitats from deserts to coniferous and broadleaved forests. Their prey can be as big as turkeys or as small as insects.

Name: Coal

Sex: Male

Hatched: 1985

Personality: He was named Coal because his egg was found on a coal conveyer belt.

Name: Jake

Sex: Male

Hatched: 1998

Personality: Likes women better than men, worked in World Bird Sanctuary's Atlanta Zoo show.

Name: Carmelita

Sex: Female

Hatched: March 1982

Weight: 4 lb, 5 oz

Why is the bird here? Carmelita was orphaned as a chick and raised by WBS staff.

Personality: She's a very sweet owl, who has served in the past as a surrogate mother for other orphaned Great Horned Owl chicks. She hoots a lot, especially in late winter and early spring.

Name: Doc

Sex: Male

Hatched: unknown, pre 1998

Weight: 3 lb, 8 oz

Personality: Very easy-going. He has been a display bird most of his life.

Name: Junior

Sex: Male

Hatched: 1986

Weight: 3.1 lbs

Why is the bird here? Orphaned when young, removed from nest and raised by hand

Personality: He pulls carpet and shreds feathers—like to tear up quail wings. He hisses a lot, and is foot shy.

What does this bird do in the show: Posing area

Spectacled Owl

Family Strigidae, Pulsatrix perspicillata

The spectacled owl lives in the rainforests of Central and South America. They acquired the nickname "crab owl" because of their habit of catching and eating crabs on riverbanks. The young may take as long as five years to reach adult plumage (head changes from white to black.) They stand 1.5 feet tall and have a 3 foot wingspan.

Name: Latte

Sex: Male

Hatched: unknown

Personality: One of three birds named after coffee products because he is native to South America.

Name: Mia

Sex: Female

Hatched: May, 1993

Weight: 2-8.9

Why is the bird here? Hatched at the Fairbanks Zoo in South Carolina. Bred for education.

Personality: Loves to sun herself on the ground and often can be found sleeping in public. Enjoys shredding chew toys overnight.

What does this bird do in the show: Did walk-ons at Busch Gardens, Tampa for 9 years. Display bird.

Barred Owl

Strix varia

The barred owl is also known as Crazy Owl and Laughing Owl for their loud, enthusiastic hooting. It shares one unique feature with the barn owl: the dark eyes. This is an owl native to the United States.

Name: Ibo

Sex: Male

Hatched: 1979

Personality: Very reliable "hooter", his hoot sounds like "who cook’s for you . . .who cooks for you all"

Name: Shakespeare

Sex: unknown

Hatched: Spring 2004

Weight: 1-14.3

Personality: This bird was orphaned, then raised by WBS' Propagation department. He has been at OWL since August 2004. He loves to watch airplanes and is great on the glove. He likes to grab fistfuls of rocks and carry them to his perch.

Tawny Owl

Family Strigidae, Strix aluco

This medium sized, round owl lives in the woods and open areas with large trees for perching. Although just over a foot tall, they can also be fierce: a tawny once attacked an unfortunate photographer when the bird decided he was too close, causing him to lose an eye! Their call is the famous "to-Wit, to-Woo."

With the loss of much of their rural habitat, tawny owls are moving into cities and suburbs. Their hunting techniques have changed with their new environment. One new technique involves landing on a branch and then slowly walking sideways along the limb until it is next to a sleeping songbird. One quick snatch, and the owl has a meal!

Name: Tigger

Sex: Male

Hatched: 1992

Why is the bird here? He was sent to WBS in 1992 from another center where he had been injured as a chick.

Personality: very sweet and easy-going. He loves mice and venison. He will call in public, even during the day.

Name: Whisper

Sex: unknown

Hatched: 2003

Weight: 15.7 oz

Why is the bird here? Bred at WBS for education.

Personality: A very calm, quiet bird.

What does this bird do in the show? Flight demonstration or walked onto stage.

Northern Saw-Whet Owl

Family Strigidae, Aegolius acadicus

This bird gets its name from its call, which sounds like the sharpening of a saw. They are the smallest owl in eastern North America. Though they are small, they are ferocious: capable of killing prey as large as a pigeon.

Northern Pygmy-Owl

Family Strigidae, Glaucidium gnoma

This tiny owl is only 6 3/4 inches tall! They are the 3rd smallest owl in the US. They have a 15 inch wingspan. They are diurnal; one of only a few owls active during the daytime. They live in dense woodlands and are fierce hunters. They hunt small birds, up to the size of doves and quail.