Tawny owl observations (Jun 20 – Jun 25, 2024) – owlets exploring parental range

This post furthers some of the issues raised in Tawny owl observation (Jun 19, 2024) – an owlet hunting fish?

Lately (the second part of June), the tawny owlets (who may have fledged about a month ago) have been exploring the more distal parts of their parents’ ranges.

The behaviour in the two families that I have the chance to observe indicates that the owlets form little gangs and settle someplace which they wish to explore together.

There they are, at first, relatively quiet, exchanging squeaks now and then (that is how I call these vocalizations because they resemble the sounds given off by squeaky toys).

One of the owlets seems dominant during this stage because one of the voices is louder and emits squeaks more frequently while the others (in different locations, typically, in different trees) are quieter and, during the first week they began coming closer to areas settled by humans, the others were not heard at all and only their leader vocalized.

This leading owlet was also probably responsible for interactions with the local wildlife (fish) and not so wild life (cats) as it took charge in discovering the opportunities (hunting) and neighbours/adversaries (cats).

Only one owlet was ever observed clearly, and, in one of the two families, this owlet often flew across the river where it could be seen as the area is rather open.

The rest of the owlets stayed in tree cover.

The leading owlet was likely the older one, the one who had fledged the first among the siblings.

As days passed in the same location, the owlets seem to grow in courage, and it was clearly discerned that there were several individuals squeaking out to one another.

I believe it is important that they were not perched in the same tree but rather they were dispersed over what was, early on, a relatively small area (e.g., neighbouring trees, < 5 metres from one another).

Gradually, their vocalizations started dominating the scene, and they were almost non-intermittent.

Still, one of the owlets was louder at all times and squeaked more often than the others but now the dominance was not as sharply contrasted.

On the night of June 25, I could count 4 owlets in one of the families (by the distribution of perches whence they were vocalizing) while before June 20, I usually heard only one owlet or two owlets (one of the pair being very quiet and almost inaudible compared to the other).

During this later stage (after the leading owlet had engaged with the local environment causing also some upset in the more dignified residents such as roe deer fathers), the owlets spread out even more.

There appears to be a behavioural pattern which must be of significance to the owls in order to understand their range.

Namely, in the case of the owlets, the individuals dispersed over an area of about 50 m².

Some of them were on one side of the river while others were on the other.

The louder owlets were on the side of the river where they had not been perching formerly (on the ‘new side’ of the river where perhaps only the leader had flown thus far).

Accordingly, I assume that the older/bolder owlets act as scouts who disperse into new habitats/patches (by disperse I do not mean leaving parental range but leaving the already explored areas) and then they entice the more timid siblings to follow.

The shier siblings yet remained in the mature riparian forest where they had been vocalizing/localizing for about a week.

I have observed that tawny owl parents possibly use vocalizations from outside of the nest to encourage their young to fledge (Tawny owl observations (ca. May 5 – 9, 2024) – using vocalizations to entice the young out of the nest?).

I have also observed that tawny owls, as mated pairs in a possibly new home range, might be using their voices in order to better understand the configuration of the range as well as to perhaps make assessment of its resources.

Namely, the pair (before eggs were laid) settled in areas where they did not nest later on, and they emitted calls in the direction of the future nest site (which they might have already chosen at the time).

Also, the male often perched some distance away from the nest and hooted toward the nest (without the female responding) as if he was helping his mate to memorize the area from the way the sound travels as the mate, after emerging from her incubating duties, would quickly need to be able to utilize the range most efficiently in order to feed the chicks and to feed herself.

I am not certain what qualities of a site can be gleaned from listening to one’s own call or to someone else’s call but I believe that tawny owls have learned to apply their vocalizations as some sort of exploration/assessment tools.

Perhaps the vocalization aids in understanding how dense the vegetation is, how large the area of water bodies, how much of an open space there is but also – what type of animal life could be met there (if the local fauna reacts to the tawny owl hooting/squeaking by rustling slightly etc.).

It certainly appears that the owlets are encouraged to follow their leading siblings if they can first squeak across the distance between the known and the unknown area, thus, maybe forming a cognitive impression of this new area before visiting it.

This ‘to and fro squeaking’ continues for hours and I do not believe those are ordinary conversations regarding some routine matters because most matters would be resolved in a few minute exchange

While there is undeniably a communicative aspect to this (which is that of encouraging the younger/shier siblings to follow, to keep the bond, to let the parents know of the locations as the parents are still providing the owlets with food), the vocalizations continue for a duration that suggests they might be used not in order to convey a social message as such but in order to convey environmental data (the way scientists use the triangulation method to find a specific spot).

Squeaks rather than hoots might be used because hooting could be socially unacceptable (if it is a vocalization mainly used by the adult owls), it could betray the location of the owlets to predators, it might be exhausting (it is probably easier and less energy-demanding to squeak than to hoot) and maybe also the owlets are gathering different types of environmental data compared to adults.

For example, adults might be gleaning information regarding the best travel routes to the nest site (e.g., by redirecting vocalizations, they might be able to find a route which is the most open one and provides least resistance in terms of upwind etc.), to evaluate hunting sites (their prey also has habitat use preferences and such preferences could be assessed by determining, for example, the density and tallness, and type of vegetation but also air temperature, moisture etc.).

Owlets might be in need to, first and foremost, find safe perches whence to get on the nerves of the rest of the inhabitants 🙂

Such perches would require for a denser vegetation.

Also, owlets might not enjoy large expanses of open areas. Currently, the dominant owlets have moved to a more open, crop-field type habitat, and the younger siblings do not appear eager to follow them there.

Perhaps squeals are better suited for gathering fine-scale data.

Additionally, it might be important for the owlets to determine whether they can be heard at all in their new place of interest because they still need to attract their parents’ attention.

It will be interesting to observe whether the younger siblings join the older siblings in the new exploration area across the river.

The squeak exchanges might also serve as a psychological encouragement.

The younger siblings can hear that the older siblings are safe… and sound, that they are waiting for them, that they seem to be having a good time (judging by the enthusiasm of their squeals).

We have methods of ‘talking our emotions off our chest’ and perhaps so do animals who can voice their insecurities until they can hear their own self-encouragement (the worried quality to the squeal has been replaced by curiosity and excitement).

Meanwhile, the older siblings might convey how they are feeling on their side of the river growing in confidence as they have someone to express their progress to.

This could also be an important stage in the owlets’ development.

First of all, squeaky vocalizations are probably the result of hunger (a type of want) and they are directed at the parents who are supposed to satisfy the need.

Perhaps, by emitting squeaks which are based on another type of a want (a desire to discover, to take the next step, to grow bolder, to mature), the owlets are learning to respond to their own signals.

The parents cannot carry the owlets off to the new habitat patch.

The owlets might, thereby, squeal their desire until they are ready to fulfill their own request.

Thereby, the owlets are learning to satisfy their own needs, including hunger, which is essential for them to acquire hunting skills and reach independence.

If the owlets have sympathy for one another, they might have an overall sympathy for someone who is squeaking (and who is related to them, the way they are also related to themselves).

Perhaps by emitting many squeals, the owlets either attempt to meet the wishes by their older siblings (to respond to their squeals by fulfilling their request to follow) which would place them at a more mature stage of development, or they might be beginning to view themselves as individuals whose dissatisfaction must be rectified.

The older siblings, meanwhile, might become encouraged to hunt as they hear the younger siblings squeaking but the parents are not responding for a longer while.

It is possible that the siblings might begin provisioning for one another, and the squeals serve as method to mature out of the expectant role and into the role of provider for the sibling or for oneself.

I also believe that there is a social lesson to this.

When the parents are hooting outside of the nest to encourage the young to fledge, they might be teaching the chicks to substitute physical hunger for a social hunger.

Namely, the parents do not starve the offspring but food is found where society is found, where family is found.

During these stages of, first, following the parents out of the nest and then following the siblings into new areas, the owlets might be gradually learning that the social connection is more important than hunger, that it is a want of its own.

Owl parents have to be very efficient and they probably need to forego many meals in order to, first, provide for their offspring.

Similarly, males must provide for the females while the females are incubating and during courtship, as well.

The social need must be stronger than the physical hunger because the physical hunger, in mature owls, probably has to wait until the social obligations have been fulfilled.

Thusly, as the parent calls the chick out of the nest, they might be exposing the chick to a slight anxiety over both hunger and social insecurity.

I should like to stress the word ‘slight’ because the chicks are not starved, not they are abandoned.

However, the hearing of the parent far away could provoke the awareness of the social bond.

By, ultimately, following the parent and the dominant siblings, the chick might learn that being reunited with their social group is a joy in itself which is, early on, accompanied by food deliveries (when reunited with the parent) but later it is an achievement and a gratification on its own (when reunited with the dominant siblings).

After having observed these interactions, I wonder whether the siblings truly disperse by their lonesome (when it is time to truly leave the parental range) because it seems to me that they are equipped (and that they, indeed, develop) a social (group) dispersal strategy while still young.

In some species the dominant individuals settle nearer the parental range while, in other species, the dominant individuals disperse farther.

In a saturated population, on one hand, there could be a limited availability of ranges to settle in and one might expect that siblings would compete for any vacancies.

However, stronger individuals might not be satisfied with just any range if it is suboptimal and perhaps the dominant siblings might lead the less dominant siblings to the nearby ranges (which could be of a poorer quality but which might appease a smaller, weaker owl, for example) and, afterward, they might pursue a longer and more arduous journey to find a highly suitable range.

As the dominant siblings are currently calling out to the younger ones, they might be establishing the bond which unites the future leaders during dispersal, and they might be learning not to proceed to fast if there is yet someone behind, someone waiting, someone who needs to muster their courage to follow them.

Perhaps the younger siblings are also learning to determine when to follow and when it might be the time to stop and to settle (of course, this would happen much later in the season).

If the tawny owl vocalizations are also aimed at assessing prey availability, the hunger association to these squeals might enable the owlets to establish whether they would be satiated in the habitat that they are currently exploring.

If they are not, the hunger prevails and is turned into a social hunger sending the less dominant owlets after their leaders to find better hunting grounds.

The leading owlets’ ability to wait until the needs of their charges are met would be of importance later in life as they would start their own families.

This might also enable the leaders to acquire crucial skills, such as:

• to assess the habitat suitability both from the perspective of dominant and non-dominant individuals, i.e., habitat suitability for parents and for chicks;
• to learn hunting prey which can sooner meet their energy demands if part of their energy must be dedicated to their charges and if their charges are hunting perhaps smaller prey (thus, as parents, these individuals would be able to manage self-provisioning combined with the provisioning for the chicks and they would become aware of different prey types and prey sizes).