Do Owls Have Any Predators?

Despite being well-known hunters, owls have predators in nature. However, the dangers that adult owls and young owls face are very different from each other. While not all predators will try to attack a mature owl, smaller ones might be much more vulnerable.

If you are interested in finding out a way to help the owls in your area, knowing about the dangers lurking around might be a great help!

Natural Predators Of Owls

Not many predators eat owls in the forest, but eggs and newborns might not be so lucky. Anytime the parent owls are away from their nest, the owlets and eggs will be unguarded.

Coyotes, Foxes, Wildcats, And More

If given a perfect opportunity, these animals will attack an adult owl and get themselves a good meal. However, some owl species have bigger sizes than others, and they will be safe from these attackers.

An owl nest not built on the high branches will be a treasure trove for coyotes and foxes. They will not wait to grasp the eggs or the baby owls and fill their stomachs.

An injured mature owl might become vulnerable to these predators too, especially when they don’t have protection from their parents anymore.

Besides these animals, raccoons, weasels, squirrels, skunks, and many more animals in the wild can become threats to owls.

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Other Predatory Birds

Owls are one of the most dangerous birds of prey, yet it doesn’t exclude them from being good targets for other aerial hunters.

As you might know, hawks and eagles are also intimidating hunters, and they are certainly not afraid of owls. In fact, many people have seen these birds attacking owls. It is not for the sake of a good meal, though hawks and eagles will eat the owl if they are the winner.

The disputes between these birds are usually a fight for territories, especially in harsh weather conditions when food sources become scarce.

Nonetheless, large owls tend to not have this problem because their opponents would rather look for unclaimed hunting grounds rather than challenge them.

Owls Can Prey On Owls!

If you think owls are peaceful around one another, you might want to check again!

Their territorial instinct remains, and they are not going to give up on a hunting area or a nest without a fight. The larger the owl population, the lower the chance of getting enough food to sustain.

Therefore, you might have more chances to catch owls fighting and attacking each other in seasons or areas with a shortage of food. The great-horned owls are the most popular species with this behavior, as they are very determined to eliminate rivals.

Snakes

Snakes are among the biggest threats to owls. As we have mentioned, the injured owls falling to the ground are prone to being hurt by the sneaky snakes.

With snakes, nests are not safe even when they are placed on the higher branches of a tree. Snakes can easily slither up the trunk and snatch the little beings in the nest.

Check more: Do Owls Eat Raccoons?

Humans Are A Huge Threat To Owls…

While the predators mentioned above seem formidable, their impact on owls cannot be compared to what humans are capable of.

Owls are not a common type of food for humans, but what humans do to expand their lands and improve their living conditions ultimately destroys habitats and food sources that owls desperately need.

Without sufficient areas for survival, many owl species and individuals move to urban zones. However, they have to face the dangers of busy traffic, hence vehicles striking and killing owls are no longer a rare sight.

Urban life provides fewer sources of food for owls as well, hence you are going to see owls in dispute more often. It is not that they want conflict instead of peace, but they have to do it to survive.

The Takeaways

Although owls are formidable hunters standing on top of the food chain with their scary talons and sharp senses, they are not safe from all sorts of threats and enemies.

They will never be vulnerable prey with no defense mechanism, but a great deal of damage can still be done, especially to the eggs and owlets.

We humans have also contributed an immense load of damage to owls, specifically their habitat. If you want to help them, raising environmental awareness is the way to go!