15 Cool Facts about Owls

The bird of prey by Chräcker Heller from Pixabay

15 Cool Facts about Owls

Owls are nocturnal creatures that have long captured our imagination with their piercing stares and silent flight. They are found all over the world and have been the subject of many superstitions and beliefs throughout history.

From being associated with wisdom and magic in ancient Greece to being seen as harbingers of death in some cultures, these birds have certainly made their mark on human culture. However, there is so much more to these birds of prey than just folklore!

So, hoot hoot! Join me and let’s explore the world of owls by looking at some cool and intriguing facts about these birds. Enjoy!

1. Unlike Other Birds Of Prey, They Have Forward-Facing Eyes

An owl facing forward by Daniel Mačura on Unsplash

The eyes of most birds of prey are typically located on the sides of the head. Owls however have forward-facing stereoscopic eyes that grant the enhanced sense of depth perception required for hunting in low light.

They have huge eyes, like those of most other birds, and remain fixed in their sockets. Therefore, they must rotate their heads to change views. They can see objects in three dimensions thanks to their binocular vision, making it simpler for them to assess distance and accurately grab their prey.

2. Rotate Their Heads Up To 270°

An owl rotating its head by Dominik Van Opdenbosch on Unsplash

Many people assume that owls can rotate their heads 360 degrees-this is not quite true. The birds’ overall range of neck motion is 270 degrees, and they can really spin their necks 135 degrees each way. Owls have 14 neck vertebrae (7 more than humans) that enable their necks to be more flexible. Additionally, their circulatory system has been modified to allow rotation without cutting off blood flow to the brain.

3. Most Hunt at Night and Sleep During the Day

Sleeping owl by Jeremy Hynes on Unsplash

Most species of owls are nocturnal-have adapted to hunting during the night and sleeping during the day. This is because their eyes are accustomed to low-light conditions. Additionally, owls have exceptional hearing which enables them to locate prey in complete darkness.

Owls’ special wing structure allows them to fly silently hence allowing them to sneak up on their prey without being heard. Only two species of owls are diurnal (The Northern Hawk Owl and the Northern Pygmy Owl)-they hunt during the day.

4. Known for Their Silent Flight

Owls possess the ability to fly silently as well as slower compared to other birds. Owls are nocturnal birds and moving silently enables reduce risk of prey sensing their hunting approach.

Some characteristics of an owl’s feathers are; having fewer radiates, longer pendulums, and achieving smooth edges with different rachis structures. Serrated edges on the owl’s remiges reduce wing flapping to a practically quiet process.

Additionally, the serrations also reduce aerodynamic disturbances. The owl’s flight feathers are covered with a velvety texture on the surface for absorbing the sound of the wing’s motion.

5. Seem to Have Mastered Camouflage

A camouflaged owl by Hans Veth on Unsplash

The owl’s ability to stay quiet and blend into its surroundings, virtually invisible to prey, depends on the color of its plumage. With the exception of the barn owl, owls frequently copy the colors and occasionally the textural patterns of their environment. The tawny owl is a perfect example. It has a speckled brown plumage that allows it to lie in wait among the deciduous woodland.

6. An Owl’s Beak Is Specifically Adapted

Generally, Owls are carnivores hence the curved beak for tearing flesh. Once the prey has been captured, the top and lower bills are employed in a scissor motion to tear the tissue and kill it. The owl’s beak is downward facing to keep the owl’s field of vision clear. This is particularly true in consideration of the owl’s intense concentration. The downward-facing beak also directs sound into the ears without deflecting sound waves away from the face.

7. Owls Have Sharp, Curved, And Powerful Talons

An owl with talons visible by Ray Hennessy on Unsplash

Owls use talons to crush the skull and knead the body of the prey captured. The size and kind of the prey, as well as the owl’s size, affect the talons’ crushing power. The burrowing owl’s release force is only 5 N, whereas the great horned owl’s release force is approximately 130 N.

Outside of flight, an owl’s talons may appear enormous in relation to its body size. Owls have curved, razor-sharp claws. The family Strigidae has an inner toe that is noticeably shorter than the central one while the family Tytonidae has inner and central toes that are around the same length. These various morphologies enable efficiency in catching prey, particularly in the many environments they inhabit.

8. Asymmetrical Ears

Owls have unique hearing abilities and ear structures that are useful for hunting. They are known for their asymmetrical ear placement-ears are positioned at different heights on the owl’s head. The asymmetrical ear placement allows the owl to pinpoint the location of the prey and detect subtle differences in sound waves.

For instance, the barn owl turns its head until the sound is heard simultaneously by both ears, at which point it is facing the sound’s source. The owl’s facial disk in conjunction with the downward-facing, sharply triangular beak minimizes sound reflection away from the face.

9. They are Carnivorous

A menacing owl by Richard Lee on Unsplash

All owls are carnivorous birds that consume lagomorphs, small rodents, and insects for food. Some owls have specialized in hunting fish. Owls swallow their prey whole. Afterward, they vomit bits of undigested materials like bones and fur. This is to maximize the nutrition extract from their meals. Scientists find the vomited pellets useful in researching what the owls are eating and the health of the local ecosystem.

10. Complex Vocalization

Different species of owls produce different sounds. Some of the complex vocalizations include; hissing, bill clapping, and beak snapping. The sounds are commonly used to communicate with other owls, defend their territory and announce their presence to potential competitors and mates.

The sounds also aid Ornithologists in locating these birds and distinguishing species. While some owls, like the barn owl, have screeching calls, others, like the great horned owl, have deep, hooting calls.

11. Owls are Monogamous

A couple of Owls by Zdeněk Macháček on Unsplash

According to the species and the particular season, owl eggs are normally white in color and almost spherical in shape. Although there are variances from species to species, owls are typically monogamous and may couple up for breeding for multiple years with the same mates. The prenup must be hefty!

Owls have various mating rituals (voracious hoots, tail-bobbing, head jerking, and deep calls) due to various owl species. Coupled owls work together to build a nest and raise hatchlings. 

Burrowing owls are however exceptional. While the male burrowing owl stays in his territory and mates with other females, female burrowing owls frequently move around and find other mates.

12. Associated with Wisdom

Wisdom by Alex Shute on Unsplash

Traditionally, Owls were significantly used when narrating stories and telling myths. In ancient Greece, Athens was noted for art and scholarship, and Athena was, Goddess of wisdom and patroness of Athens. Both utilized owls as a symbol Owls represented wisdom and knowledge.

Native American cultures associated owls with death and were believed to possess the ability to communicate with the spirits of the deceased. The Kikuyu people of Kenya believed that owls were signs of impending death. In general, owls were associated with death, bad fortune, and ill health in African cultures.

13. Main Threat Is Habitat Loss

Deforestation by Sergio Cerrato – Italia from Pixabay

Owls’ natural habitat is commonly the Grasslands, forests, and swamps. Due to increased deforestation of forests and other habitats, there has been a decline in the populations of many species of owls. This condition has affected largely owls that rely on old-growth forests.

Human activities such as hunting, noise pollution, exposure to pesticides, and other pollutants also threaten owls. Conservation measures have been put in place to prevent various species of owls from being extinct. Some of the measures include; the creation of protected areas and the implementation of sustainable forestry practices.

14. Used for Rodent Control

A natural method of pest control includes removing rodent food sources and encouraging natural predators to control the rodent population. It is averaged that a family of hungry barn owls can consume more than 3000 rodents in a nesting season.

By installing an owl nest box on a property, rodent numbers can be reduced while the naturally balanced food chain is preserved. In some scenarios, Owls are trained to hunt specific pests.

15. Popular in Art and Design

Hooters in Morrisville, North Carolina, 2009 by Ildar Sagdejev – Wikipedia

Tracing as far as the stone age period, Owls have appeared in everything from ancient cave paintings to modern-day advertisements. Hooters and TripAdvisor are some of the companies that have integrated owls on their logos.

Owls have also been integrated into children’s media and literature. Harry Potter’s owl Hedwig and the wise old owl from Winnie the-Pooh are some of the owl characters in children’s media.