A trio of great horned owls has
been found to be engaging in a polygamous relationship according to an ornithologist with Bird Studies Canada. The
finding has been
reported by Doug Main with National Geographic.
Great horned owls are notoriously
territorial, which is why finding two females building nests next to each other
was so unusual. Also unusual was the single male bringing food for both of the
females as they sat on their eggs. Such behavior, Christian Artuso (with Bird
Studies Canada) suggests, likely indicates that the male mated with both
females—an example of polygamy. If true, the observation would be the first
record of it.
The birds were discovered outside of
an office window by Jim Thomas at the Desert Research Institute in Nevada. He
alerted the Nevada Department of Wildlife's David Catalano, who is also an
ornithologist. Upon viewing the birds, Catalano described the situation as
"very, very odd." Not only are great horned owls very protective of
their territory, they are also believed to be monogamous. This is the case for
most raptors, Main notes, likely due to the huge demands on the male to feed
both himself and the female while she is nesting. To follow what was going on,
technicians at the Institute set up a webcam to allow others to see the unique
situation, as well. Main reports that the owls became quite popular.
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