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The Galapagos Short-eared Owl is a subspecies of the short-eared owl, which is present on every continent. This famous species is native to the archipelago. It has evolved a distinctive hunting style on Genovesa Island: it is primarily diurnal and obtains its food from the large colony of storm petrels that live in this region of the Galapagos Islands.
Quest to Locate Owls on Genovesa Island
One of the most isolated islands in the archipelago is Genovesa Island, which is situated in the north. This location is highly recognized for the astounding diversity of seabird species that nest there. Red-footed and Nazca boobies, great and beautiful frigatebirds, tropicbirds, swallow-tailed gulls, storm petrels, and Galapagos short-eared owls are a few of the species that come to the island to nest. It can be challenging to see the Galapagos short-eared owl despite Genovesa Island being the finest area to discover them. Due to its nearly similar dark brown coloring to the nearby lava fields, this incredible species requires the joint efforts and keen eyes of the entire tour group to locate.
A Brief Stroll Among Numerous Galapagos Short-eared Owls on Genovesa
Since the last census of the island of Genovesa’s short-eared owl population was conducted in 1980, it is unknown how many of these birds reside there. It is said that the abundance of food available to this Galapagos animal species has kept its population in good shape ever since. But what’s the most fascinating thing about the Galapagos short-eared owl? They have adapted to consuming storm petrels, common in the lava fields to the island’s north.
We were all focused on locating an owl as soon as we got within the owl’s territory. This endeavor can be challenging because owls in this region have evolved to be extremely good at camouflaging and blending in with their surroundings. The first guide took around twenty minutes to report to the other groups that he had seen our first owl. It was tough for some of our guests to identify the owl because it was so far away.
After a while, someone else reported that they had located another one, which was closer this time, hiding behind the Nazca boobys’ nesting area. Three other guests soon noticed owls for themselves. That morning, we witnessed a minimum of five distinct owl species.
The Galapagos Short-eared Owl, A Daytime Predator
The majority of the owls that we saw were perched in the exposed lava fields, observing everything around them and scrutinizing every aspect. They act this way because they have modified their hunting strategies to take advantage of storm petrels, which are more swiftly moving birds, especially in flight. With their keen vision, Galapagos short-eared owls search the entire region to find the petrels’ nesting locations, usually lava rock tunnels. The owl will approach and wait for the petrel to emerge from its hiding place after it observes it approaching their tunnel. When it does, it will be startled by sharp claws.
Don’t miss this incredible Galapagos Island! It will be the highlight of your Galapagos vacation.
