Owls are mysterious creatures of the night that capture our imagination. If you’ve ever wondered how these solitary predators show affection for their mates or offspring, you’re not alone.
If you’re short on time, here’s the quick answer: Owls show affection through preening, food sharing, nest defense, and calling to their mates and offspring.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the intriguing ways owls demonstrate care and attachment.
Preening Between Mates
Allopreening Strengthens Pair Bonds
Owls form strong lifelong pair bonds with their mates. One way they reinforce this bond is through allopreening, which is when mates lovingly preen each other’s feathers (All About Birds). This intimate act helps remove parasites and straighten feathers, keeping both owls in tip-top shape.
Researchers have found that owl pairs who allopreen more frequently tend to stay together for more breeding seasons (BES Journal). So allopreening serves the dual purpose of keeping mates healthy while also strengthening the affectionate bond between them.
Preen Glands Distribute Beneficial Oils
An owl’s preen gland, located at the base of the tail, secretes oil that gets distributed to feathers during preening. One study found that this antioxidant oil helps owls fight bacteria and fungi (Science Journal).
So when mates allopreen each other, they help spread these beneficial oils over hard-to-reach areas. It’s no wonder allopreening owl couples tend to have greater breeding success! One analysis found owl pairs that allopreened for over an hour each day had a astounding 96% hatching success rate.
Through such intimate bonding behaviors, owl mates demonstrate their lifelong affection and dedication to each other.
Food Sharing With Eggs and Owlets
Male Owls Help Feed Nesting Females
When owls form monogamous breeding pairs, the male owl will often help feed the female while she incubates the eggs in the nest. Male barn owls and burrowing owls regularly deliver food to their mates during incubation.
One study found that male burrowing owls provided an average of 3.3 feedings per night to the female (source). This food sharing behavior allows the female owl to remain on the nest tending the eggs while still receiving sustenance from her partner.
Great horned owls exhibit a unique version of this feeding behavior. If food is scarce while the female incubates, the male may actually tear apart prey and feed it directly to his mate, bill to bill. Since great horned owls aggressively defend their nest sites, the male is able to safely enter the territory to feed his nesting partner (source).
Regurgitation Feeds Growing Owlets
Once owl eggs hatch, both parents take responsibility for feeding the owlets. Like many raptors, adult owls will capture prey, tear it into bitesized chunks, then regurgitate those pieces for the young owls to swallow.
An owl’s digestive system is uniquely adapted to re-swallow regurgitated pellets, allowing this behavior.
For the first couple weeks after hatching, owl parents may feed owlets every 1-2 hours around the clock. As the owlets grow, the frequency drops but the quantity increases. Great horned owl parents delivering 3-6 pounds of food per nest every single night at peak feeding times (source)!
The owlets hiss and scream to beg for these feedings, though parents are very attentive to their offspring’s needs.
This intense period of parental care is critical for the owlets’ growth and survival. Within 2 months they must develop flight capabilities and leave the nest. Regurgitative feeding allows owl parents to rapidly transfer nutrition to their offspring during this crucial developmental window.
Territorial Defense of Nest Sites
Aggressive Defense Against Intruders
Owls are extremely territorial birds that will fiercely defend their nest sites from intruders. When another owl enters their territory, especially during breeding season, owl pairs will attack the intruder by diving at it with talons outstretched.
They will also make ear-piercing warning calls and screeches to scare away the intruder. The male is usually the first to investigate and attack intruders while the female stays back to protect the nest site.
Great horned owls are especially aggressive and will even attack humans that get too close to their nest. They have incredibly sharp talons that can cause serious injuries. There have been cases of great horned owls viciously attacking humans around their nest, resulting in deep gashes to the head and neck that require stitches.
It’s important to give nesting owls ample space and not provoke an attack.
Owls will also mob potential predators like hawks, crows, and raccoons that get near their nest. Several owls will surround the intruder and dive bomb it from all directions. They will continue this mobbing behavior until the predator finally gives up and leaves the area.
Their aggressive nest defense helps ensure the survival of their vulnerable eggs and owlets.
Nest Sanitation Protects Eggs and Young
Owls keep their nest area clean and sanitary to protect their eggs and young from diseases. After owlets hatch, the parents will eat and remove their waste to keep the nest clean. Owls are unable to truly digest components like bones, fur, and feathers.
They regurgitate tightly packed pellets containing these indigestible elements, which helps keep the nest sanitary.
Before owlets even hatch, the female owl will turn and roll the eggs regularly. This prevents the embryos from sticking to the inside of the shell. If an embryo does get stuck, bacteria could enter through the shell and kill the developing owlet.
So regular turning and rolling of the eggs helps ward off bacteria and diseases.
Owls will also add new nesting material like fresh bark flakes, leaves, and grasses over time. This helps absorb moisture and replaces old, damp material which could harbor mold and parasites. By actively maintaining clean nests, owls give their vulnerable young the best chance of survival against weather, diseases, and predators.
Vocalizations Communicate and Reassure
Contact Calls Locate Mates and Offspring
Owls use a variety of vocalizations to communicate with mates and offspring, helping to locate each other and strengthen social bonds (see Barn Owl sounds). Adults may make “contact calls” that allow mates or offspring to find each other’s locations, especially useful when coming back to the nest.
The male and female Barn Owl have their own distinct contact calls used to reunite. Females make longer calls more often, while the male’s contact call is generally shorter and made only occasionally. The female parent’s frequent calls likely help guide offspring back to the nest site if they wander away.
Duetting Strengthens Pair Bonds
Mated owl pairs also engage in intricate vocal duets, taking turns calling back and forth in a near-synchronized fashion. This “duetting” behavior seen in Barn Owls and other species like Great Horned Owls serves to communicate between pairs and solidify the bond between mates.
One study found Barn Owl pairs with strong duetting coordination had higher breeding success rates compared to less coordinated duetters (see research on Barn Owl duets). Thus, vocal duetting allows mates to gauge each other’s fitness and compatibility, similar to a courtship.
The more coordinated their duets, the stronger the pair bond!
Conclusion
In their own subtle ways, owls use preening, provisioning, protection, and vocal reassurance to demonstrate attachment across breeding pairs and families. Understanding how these often-elusive birds interact illuminates the common bonds we share with our wild feathered friends.
