We hope you give a hoot! Each year we hold a hooting contest for kids, giving them the chance to show how well they can imitate owl calls. To participate come to the program at 1:00 at the Houston High School on Saturday to sign up and learn how to hoot. Groups of 5 kids will come up front at a time. Each child will announce the owl species they are imitating, then do their best to hoot, toot, or whistle like their chosen North American species. Judges will award points based on the correctness of rhythm and voice quality. When the children have finished we should have time for a few brave adults to imitate some owl calls too.
The top three kids are given medals, and everyone gets a participation prize for being brave enough to hoot like an owl in front of a large audience.
Recommended species to imitate include:
Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)
Barred Owl (Strix varia)
Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus)
Eastern Screech-Owl (Megascops asio)
Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa)
Long-eared Owl (Asio otus)
The top three kids are given medals, and everyone gets a participation prize for being brave enough to hoot like an owl in front of a large audience.
Recommended species to imitate include:
Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)
Barred Owl (Strix varia)
Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus)
Eastern Screech-Owl (Megascops asio)
Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa)
Long-eared Owl (Asio otus)
If you're interested in brushing up on your hooting skills, you can review the calls of various other owl species at
The Owl Pages
Owling.com
Xeno-canto.org
1:00 PM Saturday, March 2, 2024 at the Houston High School
No pre-registration necessary, but an admission wristband is required.
The Owl Pages
Owling.com
Xeno-canto.org
1:00 PM Saturday, March 2, 2024 at the Houston High School
No pre-registration necessary, but an admission wristband is required.
The 2024 international festival of owls is made possible by:
$100 Screech Owl Supporters
Bluff Country Financial Services ● Caledonia Veterinary Clinic ● Houston American Legion Post 423 ● Houston Dental Clinic ● Houston Hoedown Days ● JT's Bar & Grill ● Money Creek Haven ● Mound Prairie Mutual Insurance ● National Eagle Center ● Timeless Creations ● Winona Bird Club
$50 Pygmy Owl Advertisers
$25 Elf Owl Advertisers
Bluff Country Financial Services ● Caledonia Veterinary Clinic ● Houston American Legion Post 423 ● Houston Dental Clinic ● Houston Hoedown Days ● JT's Bar & Grill ● Money Creek Haven ● Mound Prairie Mutual Insurance ● National Eagle Center ● Timeless Creations ● Winona Bird Club
$50 Pygmy Owl Advertisers
$25 Elf Owl Advertisers
The International Festival of Owls would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors.
Please contact us for information on having your business or organization become a sponsor, and please patronize our sponsors.
Many thanks are due to our prize donors and the army of volunteers that make this event possible.
Please contact us for information on having your business or organization become a sponsor, and please patronize our sponsors.
Many thanks are due to our prize donors and the army of volunteers that make this event possible.