ANIMAL DOCUMENTARY:These Owl Chicks Have Two Moms and a Dad—a First Bird experts are surprised by the first known observation of polygamy in great horned owls. by rheostar247.com
These Owl Chicks Have Two Moms and a Dad—a First
Bird experts are surprised by the first known observation of polygamy in great horned owls.
When Jim Thomas came into his office one morning in late February, he realized he was not alone. “I heard this racket outside my window,” says Thomas, a hydrologist at the desert research institite in Reno, Nevada.
There, he witnessed a battle between ravens and a pair of the great horned owl, two species that sometimes grapple for territory. The owl couple had decided to make a home in the rock-strewn ledge outside the window, and soon prevailed.
Staff members were delighted to have great horned owls so close. But then things took a strange turn: A third owl showed up, a female.
The two females began laying eggs, five in total, only about a foot apart. Meanwhile the male began providing them food, bringing back mice and the odd rabbit.
This highly unusual behavior is the first record of polygyny—a male mating with two or more females—in great horned owls, says Christian Artuso, an ornithologist with bird studies canada
For one, these birds of a feather decidedly do not flock together; they're territorial and usually don't nest near one another. Perhaps more importantly, they’re monogamous.https://www.rheostar247.blogspot.com
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