All About Owls
by
Stephanie
—
last modified
2010-02-18 13:52
All about Owls
Owls
are Nocturnal hunting birds. This means that they sleep during the day
and emerge at night to hunt small prey such as mice and rats. There are
about 162 different species of owls alive today.
Anatomy
Owls have large heads and their large eyes face forwards (unlike other birds, whose eyes are on the sides of their head). Having their eyes facing forward gives them binocular vision and very precise depth perception. They also have circles of radiating feathers surrounding each eye, this gives them a wide-eyed, alert look.
Owls have large heads and their large eyes face forwards (unlike other birds, whose eyes are on the sides of their head). Having their eyes facing forward gives them binocular vision and very precise depth perception. They also have circles of radiating feathers surrounding each eye, this gives them a wide-eyed, alert look.
Owls
cannot move their eyes around in their sockets like humans can.
Therefore in order for them to look around they have to move their
entire head, the range of movement is around 270°
Some
owls have feathered ear tufts; although these may look like ears they
are not ears, but are part of the owl's camouflage.
Flight
Owls
have thick feathers, that absorb the sound their wings make during
flight.
Prey and hunting
Owls
are carnivores and hunt at night (nocturnal). They are stealth hunters
and can easily sneak up on their prey as their thick feathers make
their flight almost silent. Owls have a keen sense of sight twhich they
use to find their prey, they also have an acute sense of hearing which
is very helpful when looking for their meals.
Owls have two
methods of hunting
- The owl waits on a low branch or tree and waits until it spots it’s prey. The owl then swoops down onto the prey. This method is called the Perch and Pounce, and is often used by owls that live in dense forested areas.
- The owl flies low over the ground searching for prey. This method is called quartering and is often used by owls living in relatively clear landscapes.
Owls eat rodents, insects, frogs and birds.
Owls are at the top of the food chain therefore they have no major
predators.
Owls eat larger pray in chunks and smaller pray whole. They eliminate parts which are inedible (such as feathers, hair, bone and insects exoskeletons) in oval-shaped pellets.
Owls eat larger pray in chunks and smaller pray whole. They eliminate parts which are inedible (such as feathers, hair, bone and insects exoskeletons) in oval-shaped pellets.
Habitat and Range
Owls are found worldwide in a huge range of habitats from rainforests to grasslands to wooded areas to tundra.
Owls are found worldwide in a huge range of habitats from rainforests to grasslands to wooded areas to tundra.
Classification
- Kingdom Animalia (the animals)
- Subphylum Vertebrata (animals with backbones)
- Order Strigiformes (owls)
- Phylum Chordata
- Class Aves (Birds)
- Family Tytonidae (barn and bay owls) and Strigidae (other owls)
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