Stonehead McGurney was a large male barn owl who had huge golden eyes and a short temper. He was the son of Heavywing McGurney, husband of Thunderbeak, and the father of four owlets - two sons and two daughters. He claimed the McGurneys weren't the wisest owls, only the bravest; because of his size and strength, nobeast argued the point with him.
Stonehead and his family liked to eat Flitchaye weasels, who had a habit of terrorizing helpless woodlanders. He would attack the Flitchaye if someone called upon him to do so; the way to summon him was to beat upon a large hollow tree in Flitchaye territory, which made a sound like a drum. Fieldroan the Traveler made a note of this for posterity, and Mariel Gullwhacker, Dandin, Tarquin, and Durry Quill used the method to call up the owl when the Flitchaye tried to kill them.
Stonehead rescued the four travelers, allowed them to stay the night in his nest, and guided them to the edge of the Great Marsh bordering Mossflower.