this question was on my mind for a long time. is training an owl the same as training a raptor? how do you locate one? do you care for them any differently than a raptor?
this question was on my mind for a long time. is training an owl the same as training a raptor? how do you locate one? do you care for them any differently than a raptor?
No not the same. I knew a lady that had the owl fly to her fist, but many owls have bad eyesight at close range and prefer to land on something stationary like a lure on the ground, a log, a welcome mat, etc. They do not have a crop ,so training is a longer process of short sessions.. Why the interest in owls? Hunting at night is rarely practical and illegal in many states.? They are likely to be chased out of any decent bunny patch by the resident red-tail Hawks during daylight hours. My first red-tail used to love to chase great horned owls, but at night I bet the tables would turn.
We train owls pretty similar to how we train hawks, but it really depends on the individual bird. The lack of a crop does usually lead to a shorter training session, which can make training them very frustrating if you don't have enough patience for them. They can be much, much more sensitive to their surroundings than hawks,falcons, etc. They tend to do better when handled from a very young age. They also tend to be happier free lofted as opposed to being tethered.
this question was on my mind for a long time. is training an owl the same as training a raptor? how do you locate one? do you care for them any differently than a raptor?
An Owl is a raptor . Training them would be different from training a hawk, as would training a falcon, accipiter, etc. all raptors require a bit different approach for training. "Care " would vary slightly from other raptors as well, however they all require whole food animal portions for a sustained and healthy diet. Best way to locate an owl, is to get outside. Get yourself a good pair of low light binoculars and a field guide on owls local to your region. You'll start locating them in short order.
They don't make good falconry birds in the hands of a novice. You should research falconry in your state, and find folks and resources local to you and research your States wildlife management laws pertaining to falconry.
Megapode, you do realize Owls hunt moving prey in the wild don't you? I didn't realize they preferred welcome mats to land on. Is that specific to your region or a species wide observation?
Last Edit: Dec 20, 2015 23:21:16 GMT -5 by echotadog
It is good to have an end to Journey towards, but it is the journey that matters in the End. - Ernest Hemingway
Echotadog, I will answer as if you are a small child, as the content and attitude behind your question warrants. I apologize to any small children reading this, no insult is intended in the comparison:
Yes, owls can catch moving prey, but they do so based as much on hearing as sight. If you are creance training a red-tail hawk 50 feet with a tidbit in your hand, but move your hand up or down after she takes flight, she will notice and make a correction landing on the glove every time. In contrast an owl cannot see that well at close range and relies on a remembered location of your glove for the approach. Moving your hand slightly might result in her missing the glove and frustration for both parties. In the wild, a hawk or owl will not prefer to land on my fist, a pvc - T perch, a lure, etc. but a trained raptor can be conditioned to respond to such things. The reason why a trained falconry owl would prefer a piece of AstroTurf or coir mat is she has been conditioned to understand this is a place she will be picked up and given a mouse. Because the AstroTurf square will not move at the last minute like your glove she will begin to prefer it. I am not an expert on training owls, so I would gladly yield the floor to Cryss as she has more experience than I.
Echotadog, I will answer as if you are a small child, as the content and attitude behind your question warrants. I apologize to any small children reading this, no insult is intended in the comparison:
Yes, owls can catch moving prey, but they do so based as much on hearing as sight. If you are creance training a red-tail hawk 50 feet with a tidbit in your hand, but move your hand up or down after she takes flight, she will notice and make a correction landing on the glove every time. In contrast an owl cannot see that well at close range and relies on a remembered location of your glove for the approach. Moving your hand slightly might result in her missing the glove and frustration for both parties. In the wild, a hawk or owl will not prefer to land on my fist, a pvc - T perch, a lure, etc. but a trained raptor can be conditioned to respond to such things. The reason why a trained falconry owl would prefer a piece of AstroTurf or coir mat is she has been conditioned to understand this is a place she will be picked up and given a mouse. Because the AstroTurf square will not move at the last minute like your glove she will begin to prefer it. I am not an expert on training owls, so I would gladly yield the floor to Cryss as she has more experience than I.
Your original answer was incorrect . Your delayed second response is just silly.
Owls have great eyesight, and they rely on eyesight and hearing to catch prey. I have handled, rehabbed and released quite a few owls. To answer this slowly as if your were a child , none of them landed on doormats instead of the glove or their perches. It's not memory that catches prey it is good aim.
I suppose someone forgot to tell these people and their owl about your theory about the creance .
To my knowledge and experience, that poor vision is usually only 3 to 5 inches in front of their face due to the placement of their eyes and beak. They absolutely do use their eyesight to help them, though certain species rely much more heavily on their hearing for hunting. None of the owls I have worked with have ever had an issue flying to or landing on the glove.
