Because the sense of smell is not highly developed in the great horned owl, they kill and eat many skunks.
Great horned owls seem to care little for the disagreeable consequences of attacking pungent animals, such as skunks. The owls’ nests often smell strongly of skunk, and the birds themselves, often retain this pungent odor for long periods of time.
Some great horned owls have been noted to dislike putrid meats, but only rejecting it after tasting it, proving their lack of olfactory senses.
• Image | ©️ CAFNR, Some Rights Reserved, (CC BY-NC 2.0)
• Sources | (Bent, 1937; Forbush, 1929)
