Gulliver "Gullie"
Great Horned Owl
Bubo virginanus

Gulliver was a very young owlet when she was blown from a tree on a windy night in 1989. As she tumbled to the ground, she fractured her right wing. Although surgically repaired, the wing sustained permanent damage and it was evident that Gullie could not be returned to the wild.

Great Horned Owls, also known as "Tigers of the Sky," are the largest and most powerful owl species occurring in Florida. Because it was quickly realized that Gullie would be non-releasable, glove training began as soon as she recovered from surgery. As a result of this early exposure to humans and the subsequent socialization, she is an excellent education bird and works well with her familiar handlers. When on the glove of her trainer, Gullie does not exhibit many of the aggressive behaviors so common to this species in the wild. Still wild and always unpredictable, even a trained raptor should not be approached too closely. Ongoing behavior reinforcement is vital to achieving the desired results when working with any wild bird or animal in an education setting.

During the spring, Gullie has a very important job that keeps her quite busy. She acts as a surrogate parent to orphaned Great Horned Owlets. In many cases she accepts abandoned eggs as her own, often incubating them for several weeks before it becomes apparent the eggs are not viable. Even though the eggs have been checked by "candling" and seem healthy, there's no guarantee they will hatch. Gullie readily takes to young, downy orphans, bonding with and feeding them attentively. Bonding helps a chick establish its identity and plays an important role in social development, both essential to a normal life in the wild. And still her work isn't done, she teaches them the vital skills necessary to survive once released to their natural habitat. Shown here with a 3-4 week old foster "chick," Gullie is making twittering and tweeting noises while providing "tactile" stimulation, all essential to the successful bonding process.

When "baby season" is over, Gullie returns to her other duties as a wildlife ambassador. She seems to enjoy visiting younger classrooms as part of the new "Reading with Raptors" program. Older children, as well as adults, are always awe-struck to see such an impressive owl. With her nearly 5-foot wingspan, tremendous powerful feet, razor-sharp talons and enormous gold eyes, Gullie is truly a magnificent sight to behold.

Gullie and her fist orphan this year. She raised it for 4 weeks, then we were able to get it back to the parents at 8 weeks of age to be raised the final few weeks with the family. Sightings were reported for 2 weeks after release.

Some of the Great Horned Owlets that Gullie had fostered in 2004

    Gullie can be sponsored through the Adopt-a-Bird program.
    Call 407-461-1056 or e-mail info@adoptabird.org for details
    on how you can make Gullie a part of your family!

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...or click on the link below to place your adoption on-line!