Both entrants today have had very solid campaigns so far. The Great Horned beat the Sooty and then had a major win against the beloved Burrowing Owl. Saw Whet got past the Barred Owl and the well liked Buffy Fish Owl. No one could deny either if these owls has a place in the final four.
Great Horned is a legend. Large and powerful with a bellowing hoot. The mightiest hunting owl of the Americas. They have a 5ft / 1.5m wingspan, and only the Snowy outweighs it. Ask someone to describe an owl to you, and they will likely describe to you the mighty Great Horned.
Saw Whet is short and sweet. It’s one of the smallest owls, with a chirping call that is quite unique. Though small, its diet is more similar to an owl like the Great Horned than the diet of other small owls. The charming face belies wonderful hunting talent. It migrates to follow its opportunities for success, and that’s what it’s looking to do today.
Who will be your third banner owl and semi-finalist? Upvote them now!
What a small world the bioacoustics world seems to be!
I went to look her up, and saw the elephants came after studying whale sounds with her husband.
That reminded me of the guy that proved owls (barn owls specifically) can hunt in total darkness using their asymmetrical hearing. After I made this post going over the original study, someone recommended I share it with the bioacoustics community. Someone there told me that guy and his wife also did the ground breaking work with whales.
The Barn Owl / whale guy is Katy Payne’s husband, Roger Payne! What a huge amount of discovery for a couple. They’re like a non-irradiated version of the Curies mixed with Dr Doolittle!