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Community Corner

Meet the Zoo: Snickers and Milky Way

These Great Horned Owls can turn their heads nearly all the way around and often swallow their prey whole

Snickers and Milky Way, the pair of great horned owls at Prospect Park Zoo, might be named for their beautiful shades of brown, caramel, and nougat – or maybe it was because of their sweet dispositions. 

Owls are found all over the world and have made it as literary stars too, from the Greek goddess Athena’s symbol of wisdom to Harry Potter’s friend and messenger.

Known as quiet hunters silently swooping down to surprise their prey, owls certainly have a certain mystique about them.  As powerful as they are graceful, the great horned owl in particular has an unbelievable 500 pounds per square inch of crushing power in its talons. 

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And then there are the iconic eyes.  Because they are extra large to let them see in the dark, the eyes are fixed in their skull, meaning they can’t move.  Instead, the owl can turn its head 270 degrees in either direction –  almost all the way around. 

Snickers, the female member of the zoo's pair, was hatched in 1996 in Tennessee.  She came to the zoo in 2002 after recovering from a collision with a barbed wire fence.  Her male companion, Milky Way, was also hurt before coming to the zoo.

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Normally, great horned owls would be returned to the wild under the Migratory Bird Act. But because of their injuries, these two stay at the zoo, where they receive great care and spend their time helping to teach people about the importance of preserving wildlife and wild places.

Snickers has been a part of Prospect Park Zoo’s Animal Encounters program for years, but she is taking a break for a while as she gets gets used to her new exhibit – a big aviary on the path to the Barn. That said, keepers report that Snickers was always very aware of people at the Encounter demonstrations and now will often stare down from her high perch at visitors.  Those who walk past the exhibit and see one of the owls intently watching – it is probably Snickers. 

Like all owls, Snickers and Milky Way often swallow their prey whole and regurgitate pellets composed of bone, hair, and other indigestible parts.  Biologists look carefully at these pellets to discover changes in diet, among other things.

Great horned owls have also been spotted in Prospect Park.  So next time you are walking through the park in the early evening, keep your eyes and ears alert.  Last December, the Brooklyn Bird Club’s Christmas Bird Count reported two great horned owls in Prospect Park. 

I think it’s very cool to know that these wild birds are living so close to us, right here in Brooklyn.

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