Cassini (Great Horned Owl)
Bubo virginianus
Cassini was found as an
adolescent Great Horned owl in the possession of drug dealers working in
Visalia. They also had pitbulls and a rattlesnake.
Cassini was habituated to being around people. He is not happy being handled but will
tolerate being perched and having people near him. He cannot be released since he has no fear of
humans and his familiarity toward humans might be taken as aggression. He is
quite a talker, often hooting when we approach and talk to him.
Great horned owls are one of
the largest owls in California only topped by the Great Grey Owl. They stand 18-23 inches tall with a 5 foot
wingspan. The females are larger than the
males. They are amazingly camouflaged
for cottonwood and oak woodlands. The
basic body color is overall gray spotted with brown, with white and black
markings. Their eyes are a deep
yellow. Their name “horned” owls comes
from distinctive ear tufts that are 1 ½ to 2 inches long. They have a remarkably strong grip, second
only to eagles. Great horned owls give a
cry of 3-8 hoots. They are silent in
flight. Because their eyes are
positioned in the front of their heads, they have excellent binocular vision
even at close range. Their vision at
night is 100 times more sensitive than humans and their hearing is equally
sensitive. The feathery facial disks
help channel sound to their large eardrums.
They are capable of turning their heads 270 degrees.