"Henry David Thoreau once observed, 'I rejoice that there are owls”—& we have to agree. Read on to learn all about a fascinating & formidable bird of prey: the owl!
The Alluring Owl
Most people become attracted to owls at an early age, & they are often the first bird recognized by young children...
Our interest in owls goes back thousands of years to caves in France—then Arctic tundra—where an Ice Age artist drew a snowy owl on a cave wall. Owls can also be found on Greek coins & Roman vases, & the oldest owl picture in the United States was painted by native artists 1,000 years ago.
Canadians seem to have a particular affinity for owls—the Provincial Bird of Alberta is the great horned owl & the Provincial Bird of Manitoba is the great gray owl.
Fascinating Facts About Owls
Owls are highly evolved predators. Here are some of their most incredible features:
Vision
- Some owl species’ eyes are as large as human eyes, despite their heads being just a fraction of the size of ours.
- Owl eyes are not perfectly spherical; instead, they are shaped more like a rounded tube. This gives them enhanced vision, but also leaves them incapable of moving their eyes. To compensate, the owl has a very flexible neck, & can turn its head 270 degrees left or right & 90 degrees up!
- While an owl’s vision is 2 to 3 times better than a human’s, a cat can see twice as well as an owl at night!
- Owls can admit 2.7 times more light than our eyes.
- Owls can focus their eyes 10 times faster than we can, which allows them to make quick flight adjustments to avoid collisions with trees or to catch small prey.
- To protect their eyes while hunting, owls have something called a nictitating membrane or 'third eyelid'—a transparent membrane that can be drawn over the eye, but still seen through.
Hearing & Hunting
- Owls have a very well-developed sense of hearing. They have asymmetrical ear openings, which permit sounds to be perceived in only a fraction of a second—as little as 3/100,000ths of a second. This incredible ability allows them to hear mice under the snow in winter.
- Large feathered facial discs gather & concentrate sound waves like parabolic antennas.
- Owls have a large wing surface relative to body weight, which allows them to glide noiselessly. A comb-like fringe on the front & trailing edges of their wing feathers & a downy layer of fibers both work to muffle noise effectively. Scientists are using this knowledge to apply owl physiology to wind turbines, fans, cars, & eventually planes.
- Owls hunt at night & prefer to prey on nocturnal animals such as mice, rabbits, voles, & skunks. They also hunt grouse & pheasants.
Nesting
- The great-horned owl male hoots to his mate on the nest & she returns the hoot in what is called 'duetting'.
- Female owls are larger & 40% heavier than male owls; this allows for the production of eggs & the generation of heat energy to incubate eggs.
- Many owls nest in February & March in northern latitudes. Some use old nests of hawks & crows, while others nest in hollow trees or bird houses. The male often brings prey for the female as she cannot leave the eggs on a cold, snowy night.
- In areas where there are few or no trees, owls may nest on mounds of grasses & feathers or in underground burrows.
- Owls’ feathers allow them to be highly camouflaged in the environments they frequent. The snowy owl’s white & black-speckled plumage blends in perfectly with the frozen tundra, while the burrowing owl’s tawny-brown feathers match its grassy, sandy home.
- 2-3 eggs are the usual clutch for larger owls. They hatch in 30 days & the young fledge in about 10 to 12 weeks. In years with abundant prey, snowy owls may lay 12 eggs, but in lean years, they may not nest at all.
- Owls are very curious & imitating their calls or squeaking on the back of your hand in the evening will often bring them near you for a closer view. 'Owl Prowls' with birding guides are one of most entertaining of all bird walks..."
Tom Warren
Oct. 11/2021
almanac.com
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