Central Park Birding Report: A Parliament of Owls

By Boysenberry45

There are many names for a group of owls—a wisdom, a congress, a hooting, for example—but my favorite is a parliament, which is what we have in Central Park right now! Well, not exactly a parliament, because the various owls are not in a group, but the park is decidedly “owly” to the delight of local birders. This past weekend, it was possible to see three different kinds of owls in Central Park: a Great Horned Owl, a Barred Owl, and a somewhat rare, diminutive Northern Saw-Whet Owl.  All of these owl species can live in proximity, although the Great Horned Owl is the greatest natural enemy of the Barred Owl, so they prefer to roost in slightly different areas.

Great Horned Owl

This large, most widely distributed species, which is second heaviest only to the Snowy Owl, is also known as a Tiger Owl thanks to its striped feathering. The “horns” are actually feather tufts known as plumicorns. This species is truly great, measuring 17-25” in height with a huge wingspan from 3-5 feet. Their flight speed varies from 2 – 40 MPH, always silent and generally deadly due to their powerful talons which can exert 300 pounds per square inch. They are stunning, but somewhat terrifying and fierce in appearance; females are larger than the males. Currently we have a resident Great Horned Owl nicknamed Geraldine by her birding fan club who has been in residence in the Ramble for over one year. In the past month, a male Great Horned Owl has been widely photographed in her vicinity. The birding community is holding its collective breath, hoping for a bunch of owlets sometime over the next few months.

Barred Owl

Discovered about one month ago, the current Barred Owl has mostly been seen in the Ramble and Pinetum. (We must pause here to remember with sadness, the 10 month residence of our beloved Barry the Barred Owl, who passed away August 6, 2021, just shy of her one month anniversary in NYC.) With large soulful eyes, Barred Owls are similar in height to Great Horned Owls, but their wingspan is a bit smaller, ranging from “only” 3-4 feet. They are also known as the Northern Barred Owl or Hoot Owl and are the only owl species with truly brown eyes. Native to the northeastern US, they have advanced across the US and are on their way to being considered invasive in the western US.  Their hoot (“Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?”) is loud and enthusiastic, although they are virtually silent while hunting, usually from a perch rather than in flight.

Northern Saw-Whet Owl

One of the smallest owl species, Northern Saw-Whets are native to North America and only about the size of an American Robin and although somewhat common, far more difficult to spot. They tend to roost in dense thickets, such as pine trees, at eye level or up to twenty feet high. Their hearing is so fine they can hunt in literal darkness, using only sound to locate prey. The most famous Northern Saw-Whet in the tri-state area was nicknamed “Rocky”, because she was discovered wrapped up in the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree on November 16, 2020; she mistakenly took a trip from upstate NY to the big Apple, but was rescued and released back into the wild.

Although owls are apex predators and can easily defend themselves, please always be respectful when observing owls in the wild. They need their beauty sleep like the rest of us, but are largely nocturnal so they sleep during the day. When in the presence of an owl, imagine you are in a library reading room or the Quiet Car on an Amtrak train. Keep your voice down and your dog hushed from barking while you marvel at these fantastic creatures.