>>> WELCOME TO OUR WEB ONLY DIALOGUE, AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OWLS.

I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE WHO YOU HAVE BROUGHT WITH YOU.

>> THIS LITTLE BIRD IS A BURROWING OWL, THIS IS THE STAR OF THE FILM AND BOOK "HOOT."

THIS IS ONE OF IDAHO'S THREE OR FOUR SMALLEST OF OUR OWL SPECIES.

>> OKAY.

AND YOU HAVE?

>> AND THIS IS COPPER, A SHORT-EARED OWL.

HE IS ALSO AN OPEN HABITAT CRITTER.

>> WE'VE HAD HIM QUITE A WHILE.

HE'S AN OLD FELLOW.

>> UP IN OUR CRAFTERS, IF WE CAN GET A SHOPLIFT MERLIN, MERLIN IS A GREAT HORNED OWL.

IF YOU WATCH THE VIDEO, HE'S SITTING THERE IN THE RAFTERS, KIND OF IN THE DARK LOOKING DOWN ON ALL OF US.

THAT'S MERLIN.

LET'S GET TO OUR FIRST QUESTION, RILEY IN IDAHO FALLS.

RILEY, THANKS FOR HANGING WITH US.

WHAT'S YOUR QUESTION?

>> WHY DO OWLS HAVE TO BE -- I MEAN, WHY DO WE HAVE TO BE AFRAID OF OWLS?

>> YOU KNOW, MERLIN UP THERE LOOKS PRETTY SCARY.

>> HE DOES LOOK PRETTY SCARY.

BUT THERE'S NO REASON TO BE AFRAID OF THEM.

THEY ARE NOT INTERESTED IN HUNTING YOU, IN EATING YOU.

THE ONLY TIME YOU MIGHT HAVE A NEGATIVE ENCOUNTER WITH AN OWL IS DURING THE BREEDING SEASON.

IF YOU GET TOO CLOSE TO THE NEST, THEY MIGHT BE DEFENDING THEIR YOUNG.

>> HOW CAN YOU BE AFRAID OF A FACE LIKE THAT?

THEY ARE SO CUTE!

>> HOLD ON.

MY WHOLE CLASS AND MY TEACHER WANTS TO HEAR THE ANSWER, ALSO.

>> OKAY.

I'LL PUT YOU ON HOLD SO YOU CAN HEAR.

>> OKAY.

I'LL PUT YOU ON HOLD, YOU SHOULD STILL BE ABLE TO HEAR.

DYLAN IN MRS.

HUDSON'S CLASS WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, WHAT'S THE MOST POPULOUS BIRD IN IDAHO?

>> THE MOST COMMON WOULD BE THE GREAT HORNED.

>> THAT'S WHAT I WAS THINKING, TOO.

>> HOW MANY PREDATORS DO OWLS HAVE?

WHAT IS THEIR MAIN PREDATOR?

>> WHAT HUNTS OWLS?

>> OTHER OWLS.

>> AND IT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.

EVEN EGGS, IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO EAT EGGS, YOU'VE GOT SNAKES AND SKUNKS THAT WOULD GO FOR AN OWL EGG.

BUT AS ADULTS, THEY ARE MORE PRONE TO PRED DAYATION IF THEY ARE INJURED ON THE GROUND, LIKE THE BURROWING OWL OR THE SHORT-EARED OWL.

>> RYAN IN MRS.

HUDSON'S CLASS, WHY DO OWLS HAVE FUR ON THEIR FEET?

>> ACTUALLY YOU CAN SEE IT ON COPPER'S FEET.

THIS FEELS AND LOOKS LIKE FUR BUT IT'S ACTUALLY VERY, VERY TINY FEATHERS.

BIRDS DON'T HAVE FUR, BIRDS ONLY HAVE FEATHERS.

THAT'S WHAT MAKES BIRDS UNIQUE OF ALL THE ANIMALS ON THE PLANET.

THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES WITH FEATHERS.

>> IT REALLY DOES LOOK LIKE FUR.

>> IT Z BUT IT'S TINY, TINY LITTLE FEATHERS.

>> ARE BURR ROGUE OWLED ENDANGERED?

>> HERE IN IDAHO THERE'S A LITTLE CONCERN WITH THE SAGEBRUSH HABITAT.

THEY ARE HOLDING THEIR OWN PRETTY WELL RIGHT NOW.

THEY ARE ADAPTED TO BEING AROUND PEOPLE.

IN FLORIDA ONE OF THEIR FAVORITE HABITATS ARE GOLF COURSES.

IT'S GREEN AND OPEN.

IT DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU LIVE.

>> JACK WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, HOW LARGE IS A MALE BARN OWL'S BRAIN?

IF OUR BRAIN IS ABOUT THE SIZE OF A CAULIFLOWER HEAD, THERE'S MUST BE PROPORTION AL FOR THEIR BODY.

>> THERE'S JUST ROOM FOR A BRAIN, EYES AND EARS.

THERE'S NOT ROOM FOR MUCH ELSE IN THERE.

WHAT, A THIRD OF THE SKULL?

>> MUCH.

IT IS EYEBALLS.

NOT MEANING TO OFFEND ANYBODY PRESENT, BUT THEY ARE NOT THE BRIGHTEST OF CREATURES BUT THEY KNOW HOW TO DO WHAT THEY NEED TO DO.

>> HOW CAN YOU TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MALE AND A FEMALE?

>> PRIMARILY BY SIZE.

IN THE WORLD OF RAPTORS, THE FEMALES ARE BIGGER THAN THE MALES.

WE KNOW MERLIN IS A MALE BECAUSE HE WEIGH BUSY THREE POUNDS, ON THE BOTTOM END OF THE RANGE FOR A GREAT HORNED OWL.

THEY TYPICALLY WEIGH THREE TO FIVE POUNDS.

A MALE IS THREE TO FOUR, A FEMALE IS FOUR TO FIVE POUNDS.

THERE'S AN OVERLAP IN THE MIDDLE, BUT IT'S GENERALLY BY SIZE AND WEIGHT.

>> BUT THEY DON'T HAVE A DIFFERENCE IN COLOR OF THE FEATHERS?

>> WELL, NOT WITH OWLS.

SOME SPECIES, THERE'S A FALCON WE HAVE THAT THERE'S A COLOR DIFFERENCE BUT FOR THE MOST PART NO.

>> DAN WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, DO OWLS MIGRATE.

AND IF NOT, WHY NOT?

>> WE DO HAVE SEVERAL SPECIES THAT MIGRATE.

THE BUFFER ROWING OWL Z. THE REASON THESE BIRDS LEAVE I HAD IS BECAUSE THEY EAT MOSTLY INSECTS.

THEY MOVE TO THE SOUTHERN-SOUTHWESTERN PART OF THE UNITED STATES AND INTO MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA.

THEY FIND THE INSECTS THAT THEY NEED.

IN THE SPRING THEY MOVE BACK TO IDAHO.

>> LUKE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW MANY DIFFERENT SPECIES OF OWLS LIVE IN IDAHO?

>> AROUND 14, AND THEN WE HAVE A COUPLE OF EXTRAS THAT WILL -- IT'S NOT MIGRATION PROPER, BUT IF THEY RUN OUT OF FOOD IN THE NORTH THEY WILL MIGRATE TO US.

THEY WILL MOVE IN, THE SNOWY OWL AND THE HAWK OWL.

WE HAVE A COUPLE OF THOSE GUYS THAT SOMETIMES COME IN.

>> WE TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THEIR FEATHERS.

WHY CAN THEY FLY SO SILENTLY?

UNLIKE OTHER RAPTORS, OWLS CAN FLY VERY, VERY QUIETLY.

>> ABSOLUTELY SILENTLY.

IT'S PRIMARILY THE EDGES OF AN OWL FEATHER ARE RUFFLED.

AND THE LEADING EDGE, THE EDGE THAT YOU'RE JUST TOUCHING HAS KIND OF A COMB.

I CALL IT EYELASHES.

THIS IS ONLY ON THE FIRST COUPLE OF FEATHERS ON THE WING, THE LEADING EDGE OF THE WING.

BUT THE AIR ACTUALLY GOES THROUGH THOSE SLOTS AND FLOWS MORE SMOOTHLY.

>> AND THAT'S A HAWK FEATHER, IT DOESN'T HAVE THAT.

>> WHEREAS THIS ONE DOES.

>> THAT IS THE WING OF A WESTERN SCREECH OWL.

IF YOU LOOK AT THE EDGE HERE, YOU CAN SEE AGAIN JUST A COUPLE OF THE FEATHERS HERE AT THE VERY EDGE OF THE WING.

>> NOW OWL, WHEN THEY, AND THE WE HAD SEVERAL QUESTIONS BIT.

THEY THROW UP ESSENTIALLY.

>>> ONCE A DAY THEY COUGH UP -- WE ALMOST HAD COPPER THROWING UP HERE.

>> HE WAS CERTAINLY LOOKING LIKE IT, BUT HE DIDN'T CONTINUE THE PROCESS.

>> AND YOU KNOW, A LOT OF TEACHERS AT SOME POINT WILL HAVE THEIR KIDS DIE SECT AND YOU'LL FIND LEG BONES, AND JAWBONES.

>> YOU CAN SEE HOW HUGE THOSE EYE SOCKETS ARE.

ACTUALLY IF HUMAN BEINGS HAD EYES THAT ARE PROPORTIONAL TO AN OWL'S, OUR EYES WOULD BE AS LARGE AS A TENNIS BALL, SO IF YOU CAN IMAGINE.

THIS KIND OF SHOWS YOU.

THERE'S A KIND OF BONY CONE WITH EYES TO PROTECT THAT EYE.

THIS IS PARTLY OF THE REASON THE EYES CANNOT MOVE SIDE TO SIDE.

AN OWL HAS TO TURN ITS HEAD TO LISTEN AND LOOK.

>> HOW DO THEY TURN THEIR HEADS?

THEY DON'T ACTUALLY DO IT ALL THE WAY AROUND?

>> NO, NO.

>> BUT IT SURE LOOKS LIKE IT.

>> THEY CAN TURN THEIR HEAD APPROXIMATELY THREE QUARTERS OF THE WAY AROUND, BOTH DIRECTIONS FROM HERE OVER TO THIS SHOULDER.

COME AROUND TO THE FRONT AND CONTINUE GOING THE OTHER WAY.

WE CAN DO 366.

THREE QUARTERS BOTH DIRECTIONS.

>> IF YOU WANT TO STUDY OWLS, WHAT SORT OF SUBJECT SHOULD YOU STUDY IN SCHOOL?

>> BIOLOGY, WILDLIFE BIOLOGY.

GO ON THE WEB, THERE'S GREAT SITES TO LEARN ABOUT THEM AND WONDERFUL BOOKS TO READ.

AND YOU CAN GET SOME BINOCULARS OR JUST GO OUT IN THE WOODS AND START TO WATCH.

JUST OBSERVE, THE BEST WAY TO LEARN ABOUT SOMETHING IS TO WATCH IT AND SEE WHAT IT DOES.

>> ONE OF THE GREAT WEBSITES TO LOOK AT IS THE D4K WEBSITE.

WE'RE OUT OF TIME NOW.

OW THANKS TO VICKI RUNNOE AND BARB FORDERHASE FOR JOINING US.

TO LEARN ABOUT OWLS GO TO THE MAIN PAGE AND WATCH OUR REGULAR 30-MINUTE OWL PROCRAST SHOW.

BE SURE TO LOOK AT THE OTHER VIDEO SHOWS ON THE WEBSITE, AND EVERY WEEK CHECK OUT MY BLOG.

THANKS FOR JOINING US.

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