DISTRIBUTION AND NAMES
There are around 200 different owl species.
The barn owl (Tyto alba) is the most widely distributed species of owl, and one of the most widespread of all birds. It is found in most parts of the world, with one major lineage in the New World, one in Australasia, and another in Eurasia and Africa.
Baby owls are called "owlettes."
A group of owls is called a parliament, wisdom, bazaar, or study because, traditionally, they were thought to have a wise disposition. In ancient Greece, owls represented Athena, the goddess of wisdom.
ANATOMY
An owl's eyes are bigger than its brain.
Owls still have a complex brain, but it spends much of its time processing information from its optic nerves.
An owl's eyes can weigh up to five percent of their body weight.
Owls are the only birds who can see the color blue.
Owls are far-sighted, meaning that anything within a few inches of their eyes can’t be seen properly.
An owl’s eye color tells you when they are most active. Dark eyes mean most active at right, orange eyes mean most active at dusk and dawn, and yellow eyes mean most active during the day..
An owl has three eyelids: one for blinking, one for sleeping and one for keeping the eye clean and healthy.
Owls don't have eyeballs. Instead, their eyes are long and shaped more like a tube that require them to move their entire head to look in different directions.
An owl's neck has 14 vertebrae-twice as many as human's. As a result, owls can turn their heads by 270 degrees, or three-quarters of a complete circle. If a human tried that, circulation to the brain would be entirely cut off.
Owls survive turning their heads so quickly because they have blood pooling systems to keep blood circulating to and from the brain when their neck movement cuts off circulation, as well as air-cushioned vessel casings so they don't rupture a blood vessel.
The great grey owl, sometimes called Phantom of the North, is known as the world's largest species of owl by length.
The barn owl's secret weapon is its exceptional hearing, which enables it to locate its prey in pitch darkness. Its face feathers create a disc, which traps and focuses sound.
Where other birds have stiff feathers that make a whooshing sound when they fly, owl feathers have soft edges that allow the birds to fly silently. This is important for owls, as they can swoop down on prey without being heard.
The barn owl is fully grown at just ten weeks, and stands ten inches tall.
The Elf Owl is the smallest owl with many documented as weighing just under one ounce.
Tawny owls typically live for around five years, but a female breeding tawny owl in Yorkshire, England broke the record in 2009 when she died aged 21 years and five months.
Owls aren't that wise—in fact, they are significantly worse at problem solving than other big-brained birds like crows and parrots.
10,000 voles must be caught by a pair of barn owls each year to feed their hungry young.
The great horned owl is the only animal that will eat a skunk.
The elf owl is known to feign death in any dangerous situation, especially when a threatening animal comes inside the Saguaro cactus in which they make their homes
Owls make almost no noise from flying, even when tested in a room with multiple microphones
The owl's distinctive 'tu-whit tu-woo' call is actually a duet between a pair. The female makes a 'tu-whit' sound and the male responds with a 'hooo'.
The barn owl's nest is in a hollow tree, old building or cliff; the female does all the incubation, and she and the young chicks rely on the male for food.
Barn owls are usually monogamous and mate with only one owl, but 23.5% of barn owls are "divorced."
Owls and crows instinctively hate one another, even if they've had no prior exposure.
In Roman legend, tawny owls were depicted as harbingers of bad luck and were thought to feast on human flesh.
Many farmers love to attract barn owls as they are often better at reducing rodent populations than traps, poison or cats.
NASA places owls on their spaceships to ward off woodpeckers that poke holes.
There are Owl Cafés in Japan, where you can pet and play with live owls while enjoying a nice meal.
Source Daily Mail
An owl has three eyelids: one for blinking, one for sleeping and one for keeping the eye clean and healthy.
Owls don't have eyeballs. Instead, their eyes are long and shaped more like a tube that require them to move their entire head to look in different directions.
An owl's neck has 14 vertebrae-twice as many as human's. As a result, owls can turn their heads by 270 degrees, or three-quarters of a complete circle. If a human tried that, circulation to the brain would be entirely cut off.
Owls survive turning their heads so quickly because they have blood pooling systems to keep blood circulating to and from the brain when their neck movement cuts off circulation, as well as air-cushioned vessel casings so they don't rupture a blood vessel.
The great grey owl, sometimes called Phantom of the North, is known as the world's largest species of owl by length.
 |
| Great grey owl Wikipedia |
The barn owl's secret weapon is its exceptional hearing, which enables it to locate its prey in pitch darkness. Its face feathers create a disc, which traps and focuses sound.
Where other birds have stiff feathers that make a whooshing sound when they fly, owl feathers have soft edges that allow the birds to fly silently. This is important for owls, as they can swoop down on prey without being heard.
The barn owl is fully grown at just ten weeks, and stands ten inches tall.
The Elf Owl is the smallest owl with many documented as weighing just under one ounce.
 |
| Elf Owl at nest hole. Madera Canyon Arizona. By BBODO - Wikipedia |
BEHAVIOR
Tawny owls typically live for around five years, but a female breeding tawny owl in Yorkshire, England broke the record in 2009 when she died aged 21 years and five months.
Owls aren't that wise—in fact, they are significantly worse at problem solving than other big-brained birds like crows and parrots.
10,000 voles must be caught by a pair of barn owls each year to feed their hungry young.
The great horned owl is the only animal that will eat a skunk.
The elf owl is known to feign death in any dangerous situation, especially when a threatening animal comes inside the Saguaro cactus in which they make their homes
Owls make almost no noise from flying, even when tested in a room with multiple microphones
The owl's distinctive 'tu-whit tu-woo' call is actually a duet between a pair. The female makes a 'tu-whit' sound and the male responds with a 'hooo'.
The barn owl's nest is in a hollow tree, old building or cliff; the female does all the incubation, and she and the young chicks rely on the male for food.
Barn owls are usually monogamous and mate with only one owl, but 23.5% of barn owls are "divorced."
Owls and crows instinctively hate one another, even if they've had no prior exposure.
RELATIONSHIP WITH HUMANS
In Roman legend, tawny owls were depicted as harbingers of bad luck and were thought to feast on human flesh.
Many farmers love to attract barn owls as they are often better at reducing rodent populations than traps, poison or cats.
NASA places owls on their spaceships to ward off woodpeckers that poke holes.
There are Owl Cafés in Japan, where you can pet and play with live owls while enjoying a nice meal.
Source Daily Mail
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