Aging Great Gray Owls
Scroll down for three photos. See captions for differences between adults and first year birds.
1. Comparison of adult and first year Great Gray Owls. Birds having a mix of pale-tipped and plain dark wingtip patterns may be young adults 2-4 years of age.
2. First Year: Tiny pointed tips on at least two tail feathers indicate a probable first year bird. It is holding a vole (Microtus). Voles comprise 90% of the Great Gray Owls prey.
3. Adult: Dark folded wingtips contrast with grey tertials above. Brownish secondary panel and brownish wing coverts also indicate an adult. Abraded tail tips often caused by spending time on the ground and snow, but these could be old feathers that skipped a molt.