|
EURASIAN
EAGLE OWL
Bubu bubo (Bubo in Latin means owl)
STATUS IN NEW ENGLAND: Not native to North America.
HABITAT: Forests, woodlands, found in backyards in Europe.
FOOD: Rodents, birds, and prey up to small deer.
There are over 14 subspecies of Eagle Owl. Sundance is a member of the largest subspecies of Eagle Owl in the world. Birds that survive the first years in the wild may expect to live for a total of 15 to 20 years. In captivity they can live to be up to 60 years of age. Eagle Owls are found everywhere in the world except Australia, North America and the southwest Pacific Islands. The range of the Eurasian Eagle Owl is throughout Northern Europe and east into Northwest Russia.
SUNDANCE
Sundance joined Wind Over Wings in the spring of 2001 when she was only 8 weeks old, thanks to Mary Curran, a WOW wildlife rehabilitator. She was captive-bred at the World Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis, Missouri specifically for the purpose of education and potential breeding. She is a "cohort" imprint, meaning that she was raised by her owl parents and in the presence of other young owls, but she was fed by humans. Consequently, she is capable of recognizing and breeding with her own species as soon as she matures. Birds bred in captivity are unlikely to have feelings of missing a life in the wild. The considerable amount of knowledge that we have on birds in general, and particularly on diurnal (daytime) and nocturnal birds of prey has come from studying captive birds. This knowledge has led to the conservation of many species, including the Peregrine Falcon. Owls that were previously persecuted are now protected as a result of a better understanding of their behavior and their helpful relationship with humans. Sundance accompanies us on many environmental education programs. She is impressive because of her large size and beautiful, large orange eyes. If Sundance looks familiar it is because this is the species of owl that opened the first Harry Potter™ movie.
The Board of Directors of Wind Over Wings wish to thank Acorn Computing for this web site and
Ken Mulcahy for ongoing updates.
Wind Over Wings
22 Old Road
Clinton, CT 06413
(860) 669-4004
E-mail: windoverwings@comcast.net