The owl, the famous bird of the night, has an extraordinary adaptability when it comes to chasing and capturing prey. Their camouflage ability is extremely appreciated.
This omnivorous bird has almost the ability to “stealth” and surprise when hunting because the color of their feathers is quite similar to the color of the surrounding environment. Thanks to that, it is difficult for prey to see them.
There are 220 species of owls in the world. Surprisingly, the owl can rotate its neck up to 135 degrees on each side. They have 14 cervical vertebrae, instead of 7 like most birds.
The eyes of owls are so well developed that they are not round balls but tubes held in place by a bony structure. This means that an owl can only look straight ahead, it has to turn its head if it wants to look sideways. An owl’s eyes make up 1-5% of their body weight.
An owl’s eyes take up too much space inside the skull. Therefore, there is not much room left for its brain.
The world’s smallest owl is only 13 cm tall and weighs less than 50 grams. The world’s largest living owl is 82 cm tall. Owls are found on all continents except Antarctica. Female owls are usually larger than males.
While owls are described as extremely intelligent, they are also notoriously difficult to train. Birds like parrots, hawks, and even pigeons can be more teachable than owls.
Although owls have a cute appearance, it is illegal for individuals to keep owls as pets in the US and many other countries. In ancient Greece, the owl represented Athena, the goddess of wisdom. However, the Romans were terrified of this bird and considered it a bad omen.
The Egyptians believed that owls protected the souls of the dead as they traveled to the afterlife. Meanwhile, the ancient Aztecs and Mayans feared and hated owls and believed that the big-eyed bird was a symbol of death and destruction.
While most birds of prey do not hunt owls, owls do hunt and eat smaller owls. The Eurasian eagle owl is one of the largest owls in the world. They will also eat anything, including large prey such as adult foxes or young deer.
In Australia, the Wardaman tribe believes that the owl Gordol created the world. The Ainu people of northeastern Japan call Blakiston the “Emperor of the Night” or “Guardian of the Village”.
In South Africa, owls are associated with witchcraft and bad luck. Calling someone an “owl” is the ultimate insult.
Owls have the best night vision of any animal. They have two forward-facing toes and two backward-facing toes. This gives owls the ability to crush prey between their claws.
Owls with orange eyes are active at dusk; owls with dark brown or black eyes are nocturnal and owls with yellow eyes indicate diurnal owls.
Owls often prefer to use the nests of other birds. They do not build nests, but instead use nests or hollows left by other birds, such as woodpeckers. Even burrowing owls don’t dig their own burrows.
The largest owl on record is the extinct giant owl in Cuba. This owl grows up to 1.1 m tall. About a third of the world’s owl species are at risk of extinction.
