Owls are nocturnal hunting birds with eyes that face forwards. They are closely related to hawks. Owls sleep during the day and emerge at night to hunt small prey. There are about 162 different species of owls alive today.
Fast Facts about Owls
1. 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.
2. Owls are unable to move their eyes within their sockets to a great extent, which means they must turn their entire head to see in a different direction. Because owls have forward-facing eyes, they have well-developed binocular vision.
3. Owls have developed special feather adaptations that enable them to minimize the sound made when flapping their wings. For instance, the leading edges of their primary feathers have a stiff fringes that reduces noise while the trailing edge of their primaries have soft fringes that helps to reduce turbulence. Downy feathers cover the surfaces of the wing to further reduce sound.
4. Size of the owl depends on the species. Smallest owl (Elf Owl) reaches weight of only one ounce and length of 5 inches. Largest owls (Eurasian Eagle-Owl and Blakiston’s Fish Owl) can reach weight of around 10 pounds and a wingspan of 6.6 feet.
5. Owls are solitary creatures. Although they do not live in groups, name for the group of owls is parliament. They are territorial animals which hoot to announce their territory.
6. Owls create a wide variety of sounds or vocalisations. The familiar hoot is usually a territorial declaration, though not all species are able to hoot. Other sounds owls might make include screeches, hisses, and screams.
7. Owls can turn their heads as much as 270 degrees.
8. Owls lay between few and dozen eggs (most commonly between 3 and 4 eggs). They are white and round. Eggs do not hatch at the same time.
9. Owls have long been cultural symbols and they have been found in cave paintings in France, in Egyptian hieroglyphics and even in Mayan art. Today, owl superstitions associate the birds with bad luck, death and stealing souls in many cultures.
10. Lifespan of owls in captivity is 20 years.
