One of the creatures that can be seen at the Aquarium du Québec is Le Hibou Grand-duc d’Amérique.
Literally this means “the American Grand Duke Owl.” It’s European cousin the Hibou Grand-duc d’ Europe has been called this for centuries due to its massive silhouette and head featuring large red-orange eyes and extended head-plumes.
Though I am never happy to see animals in cages, it does give the public a chance to admire these wonderful creatures.
We call the Grand-duc d’Amérique the Great Horned Owl.
Here are some Great Horned Owl facts accompanied by photos that I have been lucky enough to take in the past.
The Great Horned owl, sometimes called the Hoot Owl, has a vast range from the subarctic to Bolivia and Peru.
Its principal diet is rabbits, rats, mice and voles though it will take any creature which it can overtake including rodents and other small animals.
The ‘horns” are not ears but rather tufts of feathers.
All Great Horned Owls have a facial disk.
Typically, great horned owls are highly sedentary, often capable of utilizing a single territory throughout their mature lives.
Great Horned Owls are among the earliest breeding birds in North America perhaps because of the long nights that give them much hunting time.
The Aquarium du Québec also has a Barred Owl.
Here are some photos that have taken of this brown-eyed species.
MAILBOX
Hi Miles,
Recently I heard an interview with a man in Quebec who is donating land — Molson Island in Lac Memphrémagog — in the hopes of protecting it from development.
He is donating all 26 hectares — about the same as 24 soccer fields — to the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). I heard him on the radio describing red pine, white pine, and other features.
NATURE POETRY
When cats run home and light is come,
And dew is cold upon the ground,
And the far-off stream is dumb,
And the whirring sail goes round,
And the whirring sail goes round;
Alone and warming his five wits,
The white owl in the belfry sits. – Tennyson
Miles Hearn
I don’t like it either. I don’t go to zoos anymore, haven’t for a very, very long time, though the Toronto zoo is pretty decent where habitat is concerned, they try. I wondered if this owl is alone, and how big the cage/enclosure is. I’d rather see wild animals in their habitat or in nature shows, though I have seen animals kept in (decent) captivity in certain situations when they can no longer survive in the wild on various shows, and I can accept that, if conditions are decent and they can’t be released into the wild .
I love seeing owls in their habitat, of course, and I thank you for the pictures, here, but the one of the owl in the cage made me sad.