Nothing To See Here!
When an owl bends over and spreads its wings to hide freshly caught prey, it is doing something called “mantling.” Other predators might swoop in and steal the owl’s food, so it protects the hard-earned meal by making a food tent using its body and wings. Other birds of prey, like hawks and eagles, use the mantling technique as well, especially when they chow down on the ground.
Mantling comes from the word mantle, which is a cloak or covering. The feathers exposed on the bird’s back are also called the mantle. This is not to be confused with a mantel, which is the part of a fireplace where some people hang stockings. Owls do not like you to hang stockings on them.
When you look, you see.
In order to see a barred owl mantling in the wild, you might have to interrupt one while it is having its dinner, and that is generally considered rude in owl social circles. Still, you never know what you’ll see when you get out into the forest and let your senses take over.
Since it might be hard to see an owl mantling in the wild, another good option would be to visit an environmental education center near you, especially one that specializes in birds of prey or raptors. There are lots of great places like the Carolina Raptor Center in Huntersville, North Carolina, the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland, Florida, the Cascades Raptor Center in Eugene, Oregon, and of course, our very own Center for Birds of Prey in Awendaw, South Carolina. These nature centers and many like them will give you a great chance to see owls and other birds of prey doing awesome stuff!
Wondering what other information might be hiding out there?
Below are some more resources you might like to explore, but if you are reading during dinner, you might want to mantle over your plate. You don’t want your little brother snatching your dessert.
Kids, remember to ask a parent, teacher, or librarian for help whenever you are looking for books or using the Internet. I always try to make sure to share kid-friendly books and resources, but websites are changing all the time, so always check with an adult first.
- Owling: Enter the World of the Mysterious Birds of the Night by Mark Wilson is a fun book with lots of info about how to identify owls and how they behave. There are also some fantastic photographs in the book, which isn’t surprising since the author is also a wildlife photojournalist! Check with your librarian to get a copy, or ask your parents if they’d like to get a copy from your local bookstore. This link will help them find the book at a nearby bookstore: https://bookstorelink.com/9781612129624
- The University of Michigan’s Animal Diversity Web site has a bunch of cool information about barred owls, including some of their food habits. Apparently, barred owls like to stash prey sometimes in the branches of trees, sort of like Bart did with Riley while he listened to Copper scratching at the glass on her patio door.
- Audubon’s Owl Prowl issue of Audubon Adventures magazine also has some great info on owls, including an actual photo of an owl pellet, which is a pellet of fur and bones coughed up by an owl after it has digested it’s dinner. Tasty! http://www.audubonadventures.org/docs/AA_Owls_FINAL.pdf