distribution]today we watch, listen, and ask questions. what is this bird, the owl? is it an evil creature of ill omen, or is it a vital element in nature's delicate balance? this, the great horned, is the largest owl with ear tufts. the smallest eared owl is this-- the screech. to the great horned's 9 or 10 pounds, the screech weighs in at a mere 6 ounces. the great horned might be considering the screech as its next meal, although it's more likely that it's planning

the screech is fierce in temperament, but it's no match for the great horned. [owl screeches] [owl screeches] even though it may attack other owls, the great horned's main prey consists of small mammals. because an owl's wings are huge and its body relatively small, flapping is reduced to a m mimum. thus, the approach is silent,

unlike other birds, owls do not fly for fun, and they seldom kill for sport. recovered, the screech watches from a safe distancece known to kill over 100 rodents per week, the great horned is a living mousetrap.

smaller even than the screech owl-- in fact, the tiniest in the world-- is the elf owl. it lives in the saguaro deserts. another small owl is the saw-whet, named for its call which sosods like someone sharpening a saw on a a etstone.

seen in the central and western states. knowing no limits of range, the screech owl is our most common owl, yet it's rarely seen. it hides during the day. like other o os, it does not cocotruct its own nest but rather uses what's available. this is a man-made nest box. as parents, owls are among the most devoted in the bird kingdom. both mother and father screech owl feed the young, visiting the nest as many as 40 times a night and bringing in mice, birds, and here, a large beetle. usually, the screech nests in a hollow tree or an abandoned woodpecker hole.

streaked and mottled to blend with their surroundings, they can literally disappear into the woodwork. [owl hooting] many people have heard an owl hooting, but few have ever seen this common behavior. and who has ever seen an owl taking a bath? it's no stranger to life on the ground, and sometimes it even nests there. this bird of the wooded swamps is the barred owl. every moon is a hunter's moon/ d daytime may bring danger. here, a great horned is being mobbed

but nighttime has its hazards, too. as an owl swoops to attack an animal running across an open highway, it may be hit by a car. sharing the same hunting territory, the great horned and the red-tailed hawk feed on the same prey species. they occupy different niches because the hawk hunts by day and the owl mainly by night.

and the sun is shining, it will not tolerate the presence of the owl in their shared territory. by night, the owl would have the advantage. now the hawk, a much faster flier, climbs high into the air, then drops to deliver the message. speed is one of the hawk's primary weapons.

powerfully, repeatedly, the point is driven home. the owl is surely ready to leave by now, but if it tries to fly, it's slower than the hawk and will surely be hit in midair. finally, a chancto escape. the hawk is the e ear winner, and the owl will probably not hunt here in daylight again. this sort ofoferritorial confrontataon regularly occurs in nature. different species,

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but the adult hawk owl, with its long tail and slim head, is quite different from other owls. our southwestern deserts, home for a variety of birds, like theoadrunner, cactus wren, and gambel's quail. this is also owl country. these are burrowing owls. like the hawk owl, they're diurnal, active in the daytime. a hungry weasel. mother sounds the warning. [owl screeches] a ground dweller, no matter how young,

mother tries to gather her young into the underground burrow. perhaps she can lead the predator away. the weasel makes his move. the burrow is usually a safe hiding place, but not when a weasel is close behind. his streamlined speed could be deadly. the weasel tries to sniff out his meal. fortunately, the young owl knows every nook and cranny in its underground home.

wl hissing] she becomes larger than life in an imposing threat display. owls hunt by using their huge eyes and their ears, and they eat a variety of prey. lemmings provide the main food for the elegant, all white snowy owl of the northern tundra. when the lemming population falls, these owls migrate south.

south of the canadian border brings out birders from miles around. heavieststf the owls, the powerful snowy lives and raises her young by day, unafraid of humans but sometimes harassed by other birds of the tundra, like these jaegers. largest not in weight but in overall size is t t great gray owl of the north woods. with a stern face and piercing gaze,

it swallows prey headfirst, as all owls do. then it hunts again. not as light and buoyant as most owls in flight, the great grayayeldom flies highgh than 20 feet. in the spring, the male brings prey to the female, and she feeds it to their nestlings. when they're older, the male will feed them himself. she tears the mouse into bite-size pieces,

young birds of prey may have trouble even with these because the egg-laying interval ranges from 2 days to nearly a week. hatching is also staggered. the result is a variation in age and size of the owlets. when they're ready to graduate to solid food, even the youngest owl tries to get the hang of the headfirst swallow. soon, their fluffy down is replaced by feathers. at this stage, they're referred to as fledglings. they've left theheest but still depend on their parents to bring them food. it will be autumn before they fly like an adult

this is the long-eared owl. it's often confused with the great horned, but its breast is streaked up-and-down, not side-to-side, like the great horned's. the short-eared owl also has vertical streaks, but it has them on its back, also, for camouflage in the tall grass. the long-eared prefers thick cover and low branches, while the short-eared roosts and nests on the ground in marshes and meadows. it's one of the owls most often sighted. [church bell ringing] among ththmost widely distributed of birds in the world and certainly one of the most unusual is the barn owl.

with its heart-shaped face, this is the species that proved owls can locate their prey in total darkness using only their ears. the young, at this stage, look like little vultures. like the great gray, the female barn owl also has a mixed brood. this little downy hatchling is just a day old. a week later, a second cover of down appears. the barn owl lives so peacefully within our civilization that some buildings have been occupied by them

owls, of all the birds, are the only ones to succeed as nocturnal predators. they can kill animals as large as a skunk but usually help man by controlling rodents. ever since we shivered around our campfires and heard their spooky hooting echoing through the dark and lonely night... [owl hooting] ever since we looked up and saw their eyes glowing back into ours, we made up myths about owls to reflelt our fears, but they did not reflect the facts. at last, we are beginning to learn more about these intriguing birds.

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