North Texas' night owls

Great-horned Owl

Owl’s ears are not at the same level on its head, and they face forward not to the side. This helps him (or her) locate prey easily at night (usually an unfortunate rodent). Also, those tufts on an owl’s head are not ears – just feathers. The Great-horned Owl is the largest in this area, but north Texas has many Screech Owls (which don’t make the familiar “hoot-hoot” sound) and are somewhat smaller.

The Barn Owl is another area owl. An adult Barn Owl kills and eats, on average, about five rats/mice each evening.

  

 

Owen Yost, in addition to blogging, is a Landscape Architect emeritus from here, who‘s worked in north Texas for over 30 years.  He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Society of Landscape Architects, the National BirdFeeding Society, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the Native Plant Society of Texas. His design office is at northwestern68@yahoo.com