The Bird-X Prowler Owl is a Washout

Bird-X Prowler Owl Bird Deterrent

At first, we figured the holes showing up in all our tomatoes came courtesy of those damned squirrels who live in the oak trees hanging over the yard. We thought that until one day I saw a mockingbird land on a tomato cage and snack on a big ripe tomato. The next day found me at Wild Birds Unlimited looking at "bird deterrents." Besides all those phony-looking stationary owl statues, they sold a "decoy [that] resembles the ultimate, most-feared aerial predator; the Great Horned Owl, which catches and eats almost anything that moves." How could I resist? I shelled out 50 hard-earned smackers and took a Bird-X Prowler Owl home with me.

Manufacturer's Claims

In theory, a “lifelike” Prowler Owl has a four-foot wingspan, and those wings flap in the wind to remind dumb birds and stupid animals (think squirrels) of a fearsome Great Horned Owl. The Owl needs a half-inch diameter dowel or some other round stock for mounting, which isn’t provided. The maker claims that the owl “moves with the slightest breeze.” A little assembly work’s required: a newbie owl-wrangler has to stretch out the wings and fix them in place, then set the big guy out on his pole. Those steps are fairly easy, though extending the wings will require moderate hand strength. Setting up the pole is up to the buyer, including determining how high off the ground to place your birdish thing, not to mention that the directions instruct you to move the mounted owl around the area "regularly."

According to Bird-X, the owl frightens off birds and small animals over an area of 6,000 square feet (less than 1/7th acre or a square about 77 feet on a side); the constant movement and the resemblance to the real, scary thing are said to be sufficient to the task.   In Reality In real use, our Bird-X Prowler Owl proved less useful as a fancy scarecrow than as a perch. It had only been in place for about fifteen minutes before the first of many mockingbirds lit on the head and began preening its feathers. The hard plastic head bears some resemblance to an owl - we see real ones in our trees occasionally. The wings are made of a cheap camo-print fabric that looks more like a Duck Dynasty gimme cap than feathers, and the body’s not just shaped like a partially-folded brown paper bag, it’s almost exactly the same color. I’ll grant that the materials seem tough enough to withstand wind and rain. The claimed four-foot wingspan is really less than three, and ours just sat in the same position on the pole for two months without moving. It’s no wonder the local mockingbirds thought it was a feeder station.

In other words, the Bird-X Prowler Owl didn’t work. Ours just sits in the garage now, where with luck it might scare a silverfish or some dustbunnies – but no birds or real bunnies. Not recommended at all. 

Summary

PLUS: weather-resistant, fairly simple setup
MINUS: expensive and ultimately ineffective
What They're Saying: The Bird-X Prowler Owl doesn't look like an owl, doesn't move as promised, and is ultimately useless as a bird deterrent. I suggest bird netting instead.

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