Today we had a wonderful day in Genovesa, the bird island. We saw red-footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls and a big colony of great frigatebirds with their red balloon. In the afternoon visit we were really lucky because we saw the short-eared owl, so that made our day.
Two owl species, the short-eared owl and the barn owl, are found in the Galapagos Islands. Both are cosmopolitan, but the Galapagos populations form endemic subspecies that are considerably smaller and darker than their continental relatives. Compared to most owls, both of these silent fliers are relatively fearless.
The short-eared owl is markedly diurnal in its hunting habits and is frequently seen on Santa Cruz and Genovesa islands. It catches fewer insects and rodents. When this species and the hawk occur on the same island, the owl becomes more crepuscular. Many short-eared owls visit seabird colonies where they take nestlings. On Genovesa, one can almost always find one or two at the storm petrel colonies. Here the owl reaches into the shallow nest cavities to prey on the birds. Both species of owl hunt primarily from a perch or from the air, but the short-eared is also known to hunt on foot.
