Great Grey Owl eating

Great Grey Owl: This is the fourth of five postings on this largest owl.

The Great Grey Owl flies over the meadow to catch and eat voles.

It was noted earlier that the Great Grey Owl flies very quietly. The question is: does the owl fly quietly so that the vole will not hear it coming, or, so that the owl can hear the vole’s low-frequency scratching above the noise of its own wings? Research has revealed that it is the latter <https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/to-catch-voles-under-the-snow-great-gray-owls-must-overcome-an-acoustic-mirage/>. The vole cannot hear the owl anyway, but the owl must fly quietly to be able to accurately find the sound the vole makes.

But, what enables it to fly so quietly? A number of things contribute starting with its particularly large wings which reduces the need for rapid, noisy wing flapping that is characteristic of many other birds. And the leading edges of its wing feathers have serrations that reduce the size of the fluctuations that would otherwise create a swooshing sound. These fluctuations are further reduced by a velvety texture on the wings and body, plus a soft fringe on a wing’s trailing edge. Together, they greatly dampen its sound.

The Great Grey can hear the vole’s scratching at a distance and this prompts it to leave its perch. At first, it finds it hard to determine the vole’s exact location, but as it flies closer, detection positioning improves. In the end, the owl often hovers over the spot to accurately pinpoint the sound. It then strikes from directly above.

The owl not only hunts for voles from a perch, it also hunts by making long flights over the meadow. Here it has identified a vole’s position and is beginning its dive straight down.

Upon catching a vole, it seems that the first thing it does is t0 dispatch it. Here, the owl is bending down to the left and the captured vole is dangling from its beak.

Strangely, while grasping the vole in its talons, it often looks up. It is too big to be concerned about predators, but it may be watching for anything that could steal its prize.

The final three pictures show the owl with a vole in its mouth in a couple of stages of eating it. This view was taken by Cynthia.

Here is another view of the freshly dead vole, but the owl is still looking around for thieves.

Now, always head first, it eats the vole.