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GREAT
HORNED OWL
Bubo virginianus
STATUS IN NEW ENGLAND: Permanent resident
HABITAT: Wide spectrums of habitats from forests, mountains, open deserts, and suburban woodlots.
FOOD: Variety including grouse, rabbits, beetles, frogs, rodents, small mammals.
The Great Horned Owl is the most aggressive North American owl. It is the most powerful and among the largest of all owls. It uses keen night vision, but primarily uses very acute hearing to detect prey. The Great Horned Owl measures roughly 50 centimeters (20 inches) in length. It has large, staring yellow-orange eyes, bordered by an orange-buff facial disc. The plumage is beautifully marked and patterned with grays and browns. Its greatest predator is man.
QUEEN SOLOMON
Sollie (Queen Solomon) fell from her nest during the winter of 1997. She was found on the ground by a 90-year-old lady who watched the baby owl fall. Unfortunately, Sollie was not put back in her nest but was kept in captivity during the critical period of time where she identified with her caregiver, in this case, a human being. She became irreversibly imprinted on human beings. This means that she does not know the ways of an owl, but is more comfortable with people. By the time she arrived at Wind Over Wings, we hoped that she was not imprinted, so we placed her in an aviary with Webster, a Great Horned Owl from Alaska. But, Sollie was far more interested in people than in Webster. During her years with Wind Over Wings she has served as a surrogate mother for many orphaned Great Horned Owlets who were successfully released back to the woods. In addition, she is a wonderful part of our educational faculty.
The Board of Directors of Wind Over Wings wish to thank ETP Marketing for this web site and
Ken Mulcahy for ongoing updates.
Wind Over Wings
PO Box 289, Dresden, ME 04342
(207) 809-9168