 |
| Owl |
Owl | Facts And Characteristics About Nocturnal Bird
Owls are nocturnal birds and live their lives at night. Owls are most active at night. The owl's eyes and long ears help it to see and hear sounds in the dark. Apart from this, this nocturnal bird can turn its head and see behind its back and its neck is so flexible that the owl can turn it up to 270 degrees.
Not only this, this bird can also turn its flexible neck and see 90 degrees up or down. Owls are an intelligent bird, so it is also known as the wise owl. In India, it is believed that seeing an owl brings good luck to the one who sees it.
There are more than 200 species of owls on earth. The fact about snowy owls is that these owls are completely white in color and the feathers of snowy owls are thicker than other species, which protects them from high temperatures.
Most of the owls found in the world are barn owls and they can be easily seen flying around at night or sitting on trees or roofs of buildings. The sound of an owl is called hooting which sounds like hoon-hoo-hoo. Many people find this sound of owls scary but these cute birds do not harm humans.
Where Are owl Found
Owls can be seen screeching on trees in the forests and owls mostly live in forests, grasslands and savannah areas. These birds do not have a fixed habitat and can be seen in both forest and urban areas. Snowy owls are a very popular owl species in North America and grasslands, urban areas surrounded by trees are the favorite living areas of owls.
Ophthalmos are not present in the eyes of owls and owls can only look straight. Owls have to turn their whole neck to look around. Some owls are diurnal and look for prey during the day.
Many species of owls can be seen in the world and great horned owls are those owls whose ears are made in such a way that they look like horns. Apart from this, barn owls with heart-shaped faces are very common and some facts about barred owls are that their ears are not visible due to their large eyes.
Burrowing owls have the longest legs and are fun to watch as they walk. Screech owls and elf owls are the smallest owl species measuring about 10 inches in size. Ancient Greece popularized owls as birds of wisdom.
But Mayans considered owls to be ominous, bringing sorrow or death. But in Japan, owls are considered to be the king of the night, protecting people from danger. Snowy owls are considered sacred in India.
Scientific Name Of Owl
The scientific name of owls is Strigiformes and owls are birds of the Aves class. Owls are nocturnal birds with large and rounded wings, slanted eyes, and a sharp beak.
Habitat Of Owl
Owls form an endothermic species which means that fluctuations in the environment do not affect the survival conditions of the owl. Different species of owls can be seen living in different types of habitats. Owls are found everywhere from deserts to forests, shrubs and wetlands.
Owl species are found in all types of areas which include habitats of temperate, tropical, savannah regions. Owls mostly like to live alone and are solitary bird species by nature.
Before mating, both male owls and female owls fly around in search of their mate in which the male owl puts in the most effort. Sometimes many owls of the same species flock together which is called the owl flock parliament.
How Do Owl Look Like
Owls are cute but scary looking birds and owls have large eyes, a sharp beak and feathers all over the body. Owl feathers look long and owl eyes make up 1-5% of their body weight. Different species of owls are found in different colors and sizes. While most owls are spotted brown in color.
Many owls like snowy owl are completely white in color and the body color of male owls is light but they are smaller than female owls. Owls are predatory birds so the feet of owls have sharp claws called talons which help them to catch their prey easily. Read- Barracuda | Interesting Facts About Predatory Fish
 |
| Owl |
Owl Size
The size of an owl is approximately between 10-72 inches and an owl is five times larger than a hummingbird but three times smaller than an eagle. The smallest owl found in the world is the Elf Owl and the largest owl is the North American Owl. The weight of an owl is between 430-620 grams and the smallest Elf Owls are the lightest and weigh only 30 grams.
What Do Owl Eat
Owls are a kind of carnivorous birds and hunt small animals. Owls fly around in search of their prey and identify them with their sharp eyes. Owls hunt them for food and store the rest. Owls like to eat rodents, insects, snakes, rabbits, etc.
Owl Nests
Owls prefer high temperatures during their breeding season. Spring is the breeding season of owls in countries like North America. Owls breed when they have a large amount of food to eat and to feed their young.
The search for a mating partner begins with a flight and chasing display by the male owl. The female owl flies with the male owl after being lured. This flight is called a moth flight together. After this, mating begins and the owl makes shrill sounds and can be called a shrill owl.
Owls usually lay 6 to 12 eggs in every breeding season and owls mostly lay their eggs in the nests of others. It takes 29-34 days for the eggs to hatch. The babies are looked after by the mother owl for 25 days and after that the babies become independent meaning they can look for food on their own.
How Long Do Owl Live
The lifespan of all owl species is between 12-20 years and younger owls may only live until their first breeding season. Mortality is high at young age and during the first breeding season. After this, the owl's immunity and lifespan increase significantly.
Another fact regarding the longevity of owls is that owls kept in zoos for conservation live longer than those living in the wild. The life span of a barn owl on record was 25 years.
How Fast Can Owl Fly
Owls are a nocturnal bird species and owls are capable of flying as fast as about 6 kilometers per hour.
How Do Owl Communicate
These birds make different sounds to communicate. Owls are nocturnal birds and these birds are most active during the night. They hoot at night to scare away their predators or to do something.
Owls whistle to attract their mates while mating. When an owl is out hunting or ready to eat its prey, it can also make a sound similar to the hissing of a snake. Read- Interesting Facts About The Great Hornbill With Pictures
 |
| Owl |
How Many Owl Are There In The world
Owls are found in large numbers in the world and more than 200 species of owls are found. According to IUCN, there are more than 100 million owls in the world and this is not the only species that is facing a threat to its existence in the wild or around humans.
At present, the species of owls is not threatened in the world and most species of owls are listed as least concern but some species like the Snowy Owl are classified as vulnerable and the Flores Scops-Owl as endangered.
Climate change and the extension of the winter months are causing breeding problems for species such as barn owls that require warmer temperatures. Apart from this, owls in tropical and subtropical countries do not face any threats.
Owl Behavior
Owls are not dangerous to humans. They are birds of prey and are dangerous predators of small creatures. With their sharp beaks, wide wings full of feathers and pointed claws, owls are great night hunters. There have been some cases of owls attacking humans in some places.
Large owls can scratch people with their sharp beaks and claws but cannot kill humans. It is always best to let wild birds roam freely in the wild. Movies like Harry Potter have made owl keeping popular in some countries.
But owls require care and a free home environment that most humans cannot provide. Owls are awake all night, scream loudly and like to go out for night flights so keeping them captive at home is not a good idea.
Many people keep owls as they hunt household insects and act as great pest control in homes and farms. Supplying owls with food and taking care of their bodies is not everyone's cup of tea.
Owl Facts For Kids
1. What is special about owls?
Owls are farsighted which means that owls cannot see objects close to their eyes clearly but can see objects far away. Owls have soft feathers and owl feathers have fringes and velvety soft coverings that absorb sound.
2. Are owls lucky?
In some cultures of the world, owls are considered a symbol of good luck while in other cultures they are seen as a bad omen. In some cultures, owls are associated with wisdom and protection and in other cultures, owls are associated with bad luck.
3. Do owls sleep at night?
Owls are nocturnal birds which means owls are most active during the dark hours. They are also efficient night hunters and use their vision to locate prey.
4. What are 5 facts about owls?
Owls cannot move their eyes to look around and female owls are slightly larger than male owls. Owls are efficient predatory birds and owls have special hearing functions that help provide acoustic information to locate their prey.
5. What are 5 characteristics of owls?
Owls are birds of the order Strigiformes and include more than 200 species. This order includes mostly nocturnal predatory birds and they are characterized by an upright stance, broad head, binocular vision, wings adapted for binaural hearing and sharp talons.
6. Why do kids love owls?
Owls have long been a favorite bird representing wisdom and intelligence.
7. What is the behavior of owls?
One fact about owls is that they are nocturnal birds and actively hunt at night. There are some exceptions to owls as mentioned above and another example is the pygmy owl which hunts at dusk.
8. Are owls color blind?
Scientists believe that owls are color-blind and can only see black, white and gray. Owl eyes have very few cones to recognize color and many rods to receive light. The eyes of these birds are 100 times more sensitive than human eyes.
9. What are some lines about owls for kids?
Owls are birds with large heads, flat faces, pointed beaks and large eyes. Owls also have short tails, long wings and sharp claws. Owls have very good vision and hearing and owls cannot move their eyes much.
10. Is it okay to touch an owl?
Owls should not be touched as being stroked by people is extremely stressful for the animals. Natural behavior such as grooming may be the only situation in which these birds will not be stressed by human touch.