Animals, Plants & Seasons 2-minute video · ages 4-8 · free coloring page
Why do owls hoot?
Hoo, hoo-hoo! Who's that in the dark? It's an owl! But why do owls hoot?
2 min
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Free coloring page
The scene from the video as a coloring page, plus the three-sentence answer, the experiment, and a QR code back to this page. One sheet, US Letter, black and white.
The answer in three parts
Why?
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Hoot number one: this is my home!
An owl's home is a patch of trees where it lives and finds its food. A hoot tells other owls that this place is taken. A hoot is like a fence made of sound. Instead of fighting, owls just hoot back and forth.
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Hoot number two: talking to family.
A mom owl and a dad owl hoot to each other, back and forth, like a song for two. It helps them stay together in the dark.
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Low hoots travel far.
Low hoots travel far through the quiet night air, between the trees. Another owl can hear a hoot from far, far away.
For grown-ups: Every owl has its own voice, so owls can tell who is hooting, just like you know your mom's voice from another room. Most owls are night birds: they sleep in the daytime, so you mostly hear them at night.
A tiny experiment
Try it!
Listen for owls
You need: a quiet evening and a grown-up
- Go outside on a quiet evening with a grown-up.
- Stand very still, and listen. Do you hear an owl?
- Can you hoot back, nice and low? Hoo, hoo-hoo!
What happened? Low hoots travel far through the quiet night air.
Did you know?
Not every owl hoots! Barn owls make a loud screech instead. Some little owls whistle or toot. Each kind of owl has its own song.
To hoot, an owl puffs up its throat like a little balloon and pushes the air out.
Your guide in this video
I'm Hoo, a little brown owl. My hoot sounds a little different from my neighbor's hoot.
Hoo is a little brown owl with big round eyes. Hoo also shows you how owls fly without a sound.
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