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The Wise Old Owl
Owls are a group of birds known for their distinct calls, nocturnal habits and silent flight. Owls are familiar to many people because they are often depicted in various ways in popular culture. They rank on par with bats and spiders as the most celebrated of Halloween creatures. Owls also appear as wise and noble characters in many children's stories, including Winnie the Pooh, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH and Harry Potter.
Here we'll go beyond the myths and the stories of owls to explore ten facts about real-world owls:
FACT: There are about 205 species of owls.
Owls belong to a group of birds that includes about 205 species. These species are sorted into two basic groups, the barn owls and the true owls.
Barn owls have a heart-shaped face, long legs and powerful talons. Barn owls are medium-sized birds with a wingspan of about 3½ feet. There are 16 species of barn owls, including the greater sooty owl, Australasian grass owl, ashy-faced owl, barn owl and Sulawesi owl.
True owls are more diverse than barn owls, with nearly 190 species in about 23 genera. Some better known true owls include screech owls, horned owls and saw-whet owls. True owls vary in size from the tiny elf owl to the bulky Eurasian eagle owl. True owls have a round facial disc, a short tail and a large head. Their color is muted (consisting of mostly brown, rust, gray, white and black) and their pattern is mottled, helping to conceal them from both predators and prey.
FACT: Owls are predators.
Owls feed on a wide variety of prey. Their main food source consists of small mammals such as mice, squirrels, voles and rabbits. They also supplement their diet by feeding on birds, insects and reptiles. Owls cannot chew their prey since, like all birds, they do not have teeth. Instead, they swallow small prey whole. They must tear larger prey into small pieces before swallowing. They later regurgitate pellets of indigestible material such as bone, fur and feathers.
FACT: Most owls are nocturnal.
Most owls hunt at night and in doing so avoid competition with daytime avian hunters such as hawks and eagles. Although nocturnal feeding is the norm for most owls, some species such as burrowing owls and short-eared owls feed during the day. Still other species, such as pygmy owls, feed at dusk or dawn.
The Cry of the Owl
The cry of the owl is one of the most evocative sounds in the animal kingdom. The cry of the owl can be likened to the cry of the wolf in the fact that it conjures up so many pictures in our imaginations. The cry of the owl can vary greatly between different species. Many of the eagle owls make the easily recognisable “ooh ooh” sound. However the cry of the owl can also manifest itself in other ways. Owls can make a lot more noises than we think. The barn owls especially have quite a repertoire. They often hiss, shriek, coo and click their beaks. The cry of the Owl is also interesting with the Tawny Owl. The “twit twoo” sound actually is often two owls not one. The first “twit”s and the second will reply.
The Wise Old Owl
Although owls certainly look the part, the presumption that owls are wise is sadly a complete myth. In fact Owls are rather slow and not particularly intelligent at all. The diurnal (day hunting) raptors are generally much quicker and cleverer. This is mainly down to the fact that about 95% of an owl’s brain power is taken up simply for its eyes. An Owls eye is very large; much larger than any of the diurnal birds of prey.
In fact, there is very little physical space for the brain once you have taken into account that most of an owls head is puffy feathers and eye sockets.
The Wise Old Owl
Owls are a group of birds known for their distinct calls, nocturnal habits and silent flight. Owls are familiar to many people because they are often depicted in various ways in popular culture. They rank on par with bats and spiders as the most celebrated of Halloween creatures. Owls also appear as wise and noble characters in many children's stories, including Winnie the Pooh, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH and Harry Potter.
Here we'll go beyond the myths and the stories of owls to explore ten facts about real-world owls:
FACT: There are about 205 species of owls.
Owls belong to a group of birds that includes about 205 species. These species are sorted into two basic groups, the barn owls and the true owls.
Barn owls have a heart-shaped face, long legs and powerful talons. Barn owls are medium-sized birds with a wingspan of about 3½ feet. There are 16 species of barn owls, including the greater sooty owl, Australasian grass owl, ashy-faced owl, barn owl and Sulawesi owl.
True owls are more diverse than barn owls, with nearly 190 species in about 23 genera. Some better known true owls include screech owls, horned owls and saw-whet owls. True owls vary in size from the tiny elf owl to the bulky Eurasian eagle owl. True owls have a round facial disc, a short tail and a large head. Their color is muted (consisting of mostly brown, rust, gray, white and black) and their pattern is mottled, helping to conceal them from both predators and prey.
FACT: Owls are predators.
Owls feed on a wide variety of prey. Their main food source consists of small mammals such as mice, squirrels, voles and rabbits. They also supplement their diet by feeding on birds, insects and reptiles. Owls cannot chew their prey since, like all birds, they do not have teeth. Instead, they swallow small prey whole. They must tear larger prey into small pieces before swallowing. They later regurgitate pellets of indigestible material such as bone, fur and feathers.
FACT: Most owls are nocturnal.
Most owls hunt at night and in doing so avoid competition with daytime avian hunters such as hawks and eagles. Although nocturnal feeding is the norm for most owls, some species such as burrowing owls and short-eared owls feed during the day. Still other species, such as pygmy owls, feed at dusk or dawn.
The Cry of the Owl
The cry of the owl is one of the most evocative sounds in the animal kingdom. The cry of the owl can be likened to the cry of the wolf in the fact that it conjures up so many pictures in our imaginations. The cry of the owl can vary greatly between different species. Many of the eagle owls make the easily recognisable “ooh ooh” sound. However the cry of the owl can also manifest itself in other ways. Owls can make a lot more noises than we think. The barn owls especially have quite a repertoire. They often hiss, shriek, coo and click their beaks. The cry of the Owl is also interesting with the Tawny Owl. The “twit twoo” sound actually is often two owls not one. The first “twit”s and the second will reply.
The Wise Old Owl
Although owls certainly look the part, the presumption that owls are wise is sadly a complete myth. In fact Owls are rather slow and not particularly intelligent at all. The diurnal (day hunting) raptors are generally much quicker and cleverer. This is mainly down to the fact that about 95% of an owl’s brain power is taken up simply for its eyes. An Owls eye is very large; much larger than any of the diurnal birds of prey.
In fact, there is very little physical space for the brain once you have taken into account that most of an owls head is puffy feathers and eye sockets.
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