First Update and Compilation of 2/2/23 Data
After collecting a lot of bones and pellets for a few months, I decided to make this project to make it easier to see what the great horned owl at Tamanend Park eats. It consists of bones from the pellets and feathers from dead birds found under its roost.
After creating the project, I decided compile all of the data so far, adjusting for duplicates. So far the owl eat more mammals than birds, and a slightly wider variety.
| Taxa | Count |
|---|---|
| Birds | 4 |
| Northern Short-tailed Shrew | 1 |
| Crows and Ravens | 1 |
| Southern Flying Squirrel | 1 |
| New World Blackbirds and Orioles | 1 |
| Hares and Rabbits | 1 |
| Mammals | 10 |
| Eastern Screech-Owl | 2 |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker | 1 |
| Meadow Voles | 2 |
| Perching Birds | 8 |
| North American Deer Mice | 1 |
| Woodpeckers | 1 |
| Placental Mammals | 1 |
| Brown Rat | 1 |
| Rodents | 7 |
| Eastern Gray Squirrel | 2 |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | 1 |
| Eastern Cottontail | 7 |
| American Robin | 1 |
| Vertebrates | 15 |
| Taxa | Count |
|---|---|
| Mammals | 34 |
| Birds | 20 |
| UnIDed | 15 |
| Total | 69 |
Overall, the owl only eats birds and mammals, but maybe that will change in the spring and summer, as most of my observations are from late fall and winter.
Observation Highlights:
A surprise observation, and my favorite so far, is this southern flying squirrel skull:
Another interesting observation is this partial skull from an eastern screech owl:
Many thanks to all of the identifiers!
@tfrench @galecyon @karakaxa @lizardking @zitserm @featherenthusiast @kmccartney3521 @mbwildlife @scar2004 @nflicker101
