The Most Important Information And Facts About The Owl

Scientific classification of owl

The owl is considered a bird of prey that belongs to the class “Aves” and the order “Owls” (Strigiformes). It has two well-known families: the barn owl family (Tytonidae) and the true owl family (Strigidae), under which more than 200 species fall. Owls. Currently, there are more than 134 known species of owl in the world. The Eurasian eagle owl is the largest, and the elf owl is the smallest. The oldest known owl fossils date back to the Miocene era, 38 to 54 million years ago. year.

Owls live in the wild for about 10 years on average, and it has been noted that some of their species, such as the great horned owl, may live longer, up to about 19 years. In general, owls in captivity can live for many years and longer than those owls in captivity. She lives in the wild. The lifespan of one of the great horned owls has reached 38 years in captivity, which is almost twice the lifespan of an owl in the wild.

Various facts about owl

Among the most famous general facts about owls are the following:

Carnivorous: Owls feed on other animals, such as small insects such as moths or beetles, and large birds such as the osprey. A few types of owls feed mostly on fish, such as: “Fish Owl” (Ketupa) and “Fishing Owl” (Scotopelia). Located in Asia and the Sahara in Africa, respectively.

Head movement: The owl can turn its head in almost all directions, at an angle of 135 degrees in either direction, which means that the total range of its head movement is 270 degrees, contrary to the prevailing belief that the owl can rotate its head within a range of 360 degrees.

Eyes and vision: The size of the owl’s eyes helps it see in the dark and see long distances, allowing it to spot prey from very long distances. Up close, everything seems blurry to it. It relies on the small, hair-like feathers in its beaks and feet to sense the presence of the food.

An extremely powerful ability to hear: The owl can strongly hear its prey and detect its whereabouts even if it is under leaves, plants, or snow. The owl’s ear has three different regions: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear, through which the owl can hear. sounds, allowing them to accurately locate prey.

Their flight is silent: Owls do not make noise when they fly, as they have special feathers that transform the turbulence in the air currents into smaller ones, which reduces the sound.

The owl excretes waste through its mouth: The owl usually swallows its prey whole with bones, fur, and feathers such as rodents, insects, lizards, rabbits, bats, snakes, and birds. In the owl’s stomach, the soft matter is digested, and the fur and bones are excreted again through the mouth. Through her vomiting.

Owls can eat each other: Owls can eat large prey; Some species can catch and prey on small deer, and some species can also feed on individual owls of other species.

They do not build their own nests : Instead of building their own homes, some owls move to empty nests that have been built by other birds and leave them. Sometimes owls place their nests in holes and cavities in trees.

Owls’ feet have two claws pointing forward and two claws pointing backward: unlike other birds of prey, which have; The owl can move one of its front toes back to help it catch prey and ensure it does not escape, and each of its toes has sharp claws.

A group of owls is called a parliament: Most owls are solitary creatures that hunt alone and live with their immediate fur families to live in, but when seen together a group is called a “parliament” and in Greek mythology the owl was considered a symbol of the city of Athens.

Owls have a high ability to camouflage: The colors and markings on their feathers help owls disappear and blend in with their surroundings.

Societies’ view of the owl

Owls have been linked to evil and death throughout history. The ancient Babylonians, for example, believed that the sound of an owl at night represented the cries of a woman who died during childbirth. In Hungary, for example, the owl was referred to as the bird of death. The owl was also an official symbol of death among the ancient Egyptians. It was also considered For the ancient Romans, seeing an owl was a bad omen. According to legend, the only way to nullify the effects of this omen was to catch the owl and burn it, then scatter its ashes in the Tiber River. It was said that before the murder of Julius Caesar, owls were heard emitting their mournful cries.