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Kringle
Kringle
is a male Great Grey Owl (Strix nebulosa) who was brought to us from Pierce, Idaho on
November 29, 2004. He suffered injuries to his left radius and ulna
after either being hit by a car or getting caught up in barbed wire.
His injuries are such that he is unable to fully extend his wing and
he cannot fly.
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Great Grey Owls are the tallest North American owls standing 24 to 33
inches high and having a wingspan of 54 to 60 inches. Although, they are
large birds, Great Horned Owls and Snowy Owls are heavier by weight.
Their feathering is ash-grey and they have seemingly small yellow eyes
and a yellow beak. They can be easily recognized by their large facial
disks which are patterned with grey concentric rings. They also have
white markings on either side of a black strip near the bottom edge of
their facial disk which is often referred to as a “white moustache and
black bowtie”. These owls inhabit tundra areas and dense coniferous
forests as far north as Alaska, south to the Sierra Nevada Mountains of
California, and throughout Canada. Great Grey Owls have excellent
hearing and can accurately locate and catch their prey even if the
rodent they want is under 18 inches of snow. They prefer to hunt mice,
voles and other small rodents, although they will occasionally take
birds or other small prey.
Great Grey Owls generally breed in the late winter and use the abandoned
nest of hawks and crows at the tops of broken trees in which to lay
their eggs. Two to five eggs can be laid in March to June depending on
the climate. These eggs are then incubated for about 29 days until the
fluffy grey owlets hatch. Both parents take part in raising the young by
bringing food to the nest and feeding the owlets. Owlets remain in the
nest for three to four weeks until they start to feather out.
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