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Do Owls Eat Snakes?

Barn owls tend to eat snakes, especially in some cases. Usually owls can eat small snakes, but the reverse is also possible. Yes, owls can eat snakes, and while other prey usually make up the bulk of an owl's diet, owls can and do eat snakes. Some snakes are too big to be eaten by owls, but those that can be eaten come in different types depending on where they live.

Do Owls Eat Snakes?


Snakes may not be the main prey for large owls, but they are definitely the prey of choice. While any owl can eat snakes, four specific species are known to make snakes an important part of their diet.


The great horned owl's diet consists mainly of mammals, but of course they also eat birds, scorpions, lizards and snakes. Owls primarily eat small birds, but also eat small mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. In addition to snakes, owls also eat rodents, birds, insects, and many other animals. This means that owls also eat shrews, lemmings, baby birds, lizards, crickets, caterpillars and insects.


Burrowing owls feed primarily on small mammals, birds, large insects, and smaller snakes. The burrowing owl is a fairly small bird, so it only works with smaller snakes.


Some small owls will attack, kill and eat birds of the same size. If the opportunity presents itself, great horned owls will eat mammals such as rabbits, and occasionally other birds of prey, as well as smaller prey such as rodents, frogs, and snakes.


The Great Horned Owl will continue to chase small mice and snakes, but also easily catch larger and longer prey. The tawny owl's favorite prey are voles, shrews, and deer mice, but it also preys on snakes such as eastern belt snakes, rat snakes, and common garters. Common garter snakes, rat snakes and eastern pig snakes are the most commonly eaten snakes by the eastern tipped owl.


Basically, the most common snakes that owls prey on are rat snakes, common garter snakes, eastern wart snakes, eastern ribbon snakes, and smooth green snakes. In order for an owl to attack a snake, the snake must be smaller so that it can be easily caught.


Most of the time, owls kill the snake without causing harm, but sometimes the snakes fight back. Sometimes owls can get hurt while hunting, especially from poisonous snakes.


Because owls are one of the natural predators of snakes, snakes want nothing to do with them. Owls are opportunistic hunters that eat anything they can find, including snakes. Owls are preyed upon by various animals in the food chain, including other birds of prey, snakes, and large mammals such as cats and bears. An owl, like most predators, swallows bones and fur, eating its prey.


The 4 main species of owls catch venomous creatures such as live or dead snakes, although owls can swallow entire rodents without teeth, you will notice once the owl gets to larger food; It tears off the meat before swallowing because birds don't have flat teeth for them to chew on.


Most snakes feed on warm-blooded animals, mainly rodents and small birds, while others feed on frogs, insects and even other members of the same species. The animals most commonly eaten by snakes are foxes, owls, bobcats, coyotes, raccoons, weasels, caiman turtles, alligators, and even crows. Several predators will eat snakes, including owls, red-tailed eagles, snake hawks, laughing eagles, and secretary birds. Many birds commonly found in swamps will eat snakes, even if they are venomous, but red-tailed owls and hawks are the best birds when it comes to escaping snake venom as food.


There are species of owls that love to eat snakes, but this does not make them devoted snake-eaters at all. How can this be true, but there are no species of owl that feed exclusively on snakes.


Smaller owls have trouble eating, as do those lacking suitable claws to grab and hold an adult garter snake. If an owl chooses a larger snake, it may end up fighting it on the ground because it cannot fly away easily. This is provided that the owl is no larger than the circumference of the snake, otherwise the roles may be reversed and the snake may become not a predator, but prey.


Yes, a fake owl, also known as the scary owl, can keep snakes out of your yard. You probably won't keep owls as pets, so cats, chickens, and turkeys can help keep snakes in check. Since owls eat snakes, mice, insects, and other pests we can find in our gardens at any time, it's always nice to see predators lurking like owls. According to many observations and studies, the most predatory one is the long-eared owl (Asio otus), a medium-sized bird that can be hunted by snakes, raccoons, porcupines, bald eagles, ground squirrels, peregrine falcons, golden eagles kill. , goshawks, red-shouldered owls, and even small, crafty birds such as magpies.


These are just a few examples of small snakes that owls can usually crush and eat. You can usually tell what owls are eating by watching the owl pellets they regurgitate. Sometimes food is scarce, and the snake will summon the courage to attack the nest even when the mother owl is there. Due to their small size, the northern pygmy owl preys on hummingbirds, songbirds, wrens, creepers, starlings, finches and swallows.

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ELDEEB
By : ELDEEB
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