Ally and Olly
by Barbara McMahon
Title
Ally and Olly
Artist
Barbara McMahon
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
This pair of adorable Great Horned Owl chicks are 7 weeks old. They are siblings. It was a wonderful experience to view and photograph this rather comical pair. There are usually 2 eggs per clutch, but clutches range in size from 1 to 6 eggs (over 4 is very rare), depending on environmental conditions. The average egg width is 1.8 in (46.5 mm), the average length is 2.2 in (55.2 mm) and the average weight is 1.8 oz (51 g). The incubation period ranges from 28 to 37 days, averaging 33 days. The female alone does all the incubation and rarely moves from the nest, while the male owl captures food and brings it to her. Brooding is almost continuous until the offspring are about 2 weeks old, after which it decreases; during this time the male feeds both the female and the young. Young owls move onto nearby branches at 6 weeks and start to fly about a week later. However, the young are not usually competent fliers until they are about 10 to 12 weeks old. The offspring have been seen still begging for food in late October (5 months after leaving the nest) and most do not separate from their parents until right before they start to reproduce for the next clutch (usually December). Birds may not breed for another year or two, and are often vagrants ("floaters") until they establish their own territories.
The Great Horned Owl is the heaviest extant owl in Central and South America and is the second heaviest owl in North America, after the closely related but very different looking Snowy Owl (B. scandiacus). It ranges in length from 43-64 cm (17-25 in) and has a wingspan of 91-153 cm (36-60 in). Females are invariably somewhat larger than males. An average adult is around 55 cm (22 in) long with a 124 cm (49 in) wingspan and weighing about 1.4 kg (3.1 lb). Depending on subspecies, the Great Horned Owl can weigh from 0.6 to 2.6 kg (1.3 to 5.7 lb). Among standard measurements, the tail measures 17.5-25 cm (6.9-9.8 in) long, the wing chord measures 31.3-40 cm (12.3-16 in), the tarsal length is 5.4-8 cm (2.1-3.1 in) and the bill is 3.3-5.2 cm (1.3-2.0 in).
There is considerable variation in plumage coloration but not in body shape. This is a heavily built, barrel-shaped species that has a large head and broad wings. Adults have large ear tufts and it is the only very large owl in its range to have them. The facial disc is reddish, brown or gray in color and there is a variable sized white patch on the throat. The iris is yellow, except the amber-eyed South American Great Horned Owl (B. V. nacurutu). Its "horns" are neither ears nor horns, simply tufts of feathers. The underparts are usually light with some brown barring; the upper parts are generally mottled brown. Most subspecies are barred along the sides as well. The legs and feet are covered in feathers up to the talons, with some black skin peaking out from around the talons. The feet and talons are distinctly large and powerful and only other Bubo owls have comparably formidable feet. There are individual and regional variations in color; birds from the subarctic are a washed-out, light-buff color, while those from Central America can be a dark chocolate brown.
Its call is a low-pitched but loud ho-ho-hoo hoo hoo; sometimes it is only four syllables instead of five. The female's call is higher and rises in pitch at the end of the call. Young owls still in the care of their parents make loud, persistent hissing or screeching sounds that are often confused with the calls of the Barn Owl (Tyto alba).
The combination of the species' bulk, prominent ear-tufts and barred plumage distinguishes it through much of the range. However, the Great Horned Owl can be easily confused with the Lesser or Magellanic Horned Owl (B. magellanicus), with which it may have limited overlap in southernmost South America. The Magellanic was once considered a subspecies of the Great Horned, but it is markedly smaller with smaller feet and a smaller head and is generally more lightly barred on the underside. Other eagle-owls may superficially be somewhat similar, but the species is allopatric with the exception of the Magellanic species. In North America, the Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) can be somewhat similarly marked and shares the feature of prominent ear tufts, but it is considerably smaller and more slender, with a grayish line running down the middle of the facial disc and with ear tufts located more closely to each other on the top of the head.
Thank you for viewing. Barbara McMahon
Featured in the following FAA groups:
Fuzzy Warm and Soft 2020
Polish Photographers Platform 05/11/21
The Outdoor Photographer 05/11/21
Red Maple Gallery 05/11/21
Wisconsin Flowers and Scenery 05/11/21
Poetic Poultry 05/14/21
Uploaded
May 13th, 2013
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Comments (29)
Randy Rosenberger
It is with great pleasure that I announce to you a big congratulations for this chosen piece of your artwork to be on special display on the homepage of our community of friends and fine artists, in our Wisconsin Flowers and Scenery group. I appreciate your activity in our group and want to thank you so much for being an active participant in helping promote other fine artists within the group. Usually in turn, such promotions bring promotions of your artwork into perspective and are featured on our homepage. One good turn deserves another. Your quality, definition, character, and variation in your works bring about a visual pleasure to view and share with others. Thanks for your participation in our family of friends and fine artists in our WFS group.
Maria Faria Rodrigues
Congratulations, your amazing photograph is Featured, in the RED MAPLE GALLERY, homepage group, of Fine Art America!
Barbara McMahon replied:
Thank you Maria for the feature in the Red Maple Gallery group! Much appreciated.
Jordan Hill
Congratulations on being featured in the FAA Group ‘The Outdoor Photographer' To ensure your feature remains available over time, post your featured images in the Group's 'Thanks for the Feature / photo archive
Barbara McMahon replied:
Thank you Jordan for the feature in The Outdoor Photographer group! Much appreciated.
Phyllis Kaltenbach
Congratulations, Barbara, your wonderful image has been featured on "Fuzzy, Warm and Soft!
Barbara McMahon replied:
Thank you Phyllis for featuring "Ally and Olly" in the Fuzzy, Warm and Soft group! Much appreciated!
Phyllis Kaltenbach
I really LOVE these owls, Barbara! I haven't seen them in my group, "Fuzzy, Warm and Soft". You are invited to join. L/F
Constance Lowery
extreamly nice picture. The birds are sitting there as if they knew you would make them look good. L/Fav
Chrystyne Novack
Wow, two owls nuzzled together for closeness! I am astonished at the size at 7 weeks of these owl chicks - you captured them beautifully. Love the details and the colors.
Barbara McMahon replied:
Thank you Chrystyne! I loved these little guys that "weren't so little"! :)
Mariola Bitner
Beautiful Owl chicks! Like your description Barbara! L/F
Barbara McMahon replied:
Thank you very much Mariola for your kind comment! So glad you like this image!
Phyllis Taylor
So cute!
Barbara McMahon replied:
Thank you very much Phyllis! They were the cutest creatures I'd seen in a long time.
Nick Gustafson
Awesome! I love owls!
Barbara McMahon replied:
Thank you Nick for your lovely comment! This pair were so adorable I couldn't stop clicking the shutter!
Debra Forand
Wow what amazing capture! What a wonderful treat for you to be able to catch these chicks. Well done!
JOHN TELFER
Barbara, What a fantastic capture of these two Great Horned Owls, the details in this photo is remarkable and the details of the owls from their eyes to their bodies is simply awesome. Excellent capture also of the wood that they are standing on showing all of its cracks and lines. Great blurred background to really have the viewer concentrate completely on the owls. The details on these owls are nothing short of amazing. Excellent photo, fav, voted, google and tweet promoted for CFC 3 link promo thread
Barbara McMahon replied:
Thank you John for your wonderful and indepth comment. I'm so glad you like this image!