Owl

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Owls

Hunters of the Night: Owls are the silent hunters of the night. At first glance they may look like a typical day-flying predator, like the hawk or eagle, but their special adaptations allow them to find prey under the cover of night. Large eyes collect all available light, even if it's only the light of the moon; their sensitive ears can hear the tiniest scampering sound of prey; and soft wings make them silent stalkers.

Food Preference: Food preference depends on the owl species. Most feed on insects, birds or small mammals, but some species, such as the Pel's fishing owl, feed on fish. Owls ingest all parts of their prey — skin, bone and feathers. After several hours they will regurgitate the indigestible bits in the form of a pellet, which are collected in their nest or roosting site.

Found Worldwide: The two families of owl — typical and barnyard — can be found in a variety of habitats worldwide.

DID YOU KNOW?

A Real Head Turner: Though they cannot move their eyes side to side, owls can turn their heads three-fourths of the way around.

Owl Vision: Owls have binocular vision, are far-sighted and have a hard time seeing things up close. They have large eyes and see in the dark exceptionally well.

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The Great Horned Owl

Great Horned Owl Profile
The great horned owl is the most common owl of the Americas, easily recognizable because of the feather tufts on its head. These "plumicorns" resemble horns or, to some, catlike ears.

Great horned owls are adaptable birds and live from the Arctic to South America. They are at home in suburbia as well as in woods and farmlands. Northern populations migrate in winter, but most live permanently in more temperate climes.

The birds nest in tree holes, stumps, caves, or in the abandoned nests of other large birds. Monogamous pairs have one to five eggs (two is typical), both the male and female incubate, and the male also hunts for food. Owls are powerful birds and fiercely protective parents. They have even been known to attack humans who wander too close to their young.

Like other owls, these birds have an incredible digestive system. They sometimes swallow their prey whole and later regurgitate pellets composed of bone, fur, and the other unwanted parts of their meal. Owls are efficient nighttime hunters that strike from above, and use their powerful talons to kill and carry animals several times heavier than themselves. Owls prey on a huge variety of creatures, including raccoons, rabbits, squirrels, domestic birds, falcons, and other owls. They regularly eat skunks, and may be the only animal with such an appetite. They sometimes hunt for smaller game by standing or walking along the ground. Owls have even been known to prey upon unlucky cats and dogs.

Great horned owls are largely nocturnal so they can be difficult to spot. But in the dark after sunset, or just before dawn, they can often be heard vocalizing with their well known series of "Hoo H'hoos!"

Great Horned Owl Range (In the yellow)

Fast Facts

Type: Bird
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 5 to 15 years
Size: Body, 18 to 25 in (46 to 63 cm); Wingspan, 3.3 to 4.8 ft (1 to 1.5 m)
Weight: 2 to 5.5 lbs (1 to 2.5 kg)
Did you know?: Though the female great horned owl is larger than the male, his call is much lower.

Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man

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The Snowy Owl

Snowy Owl Profile
The ghostlike snowy owl has unmistakable white plumage that echoes its Arctic origins.

These large owls breed on the Arctic tundra, where females lay a clutch of 3 to 11 eggs. Clutch size depends upon the availability of food, and in particularly lean times a usually monogamous pair of owls may not breed at all. Parents are territorial and will defend their nests against all comers—even wolves.

Young owls, especially males, get whiter as they get older. Females are darker than males, with dusky spotting, and never become totally white. Some elderly males do become completely white, though many retain small flecks of dusky plumage.

The snowy owl is a patient hunter that perches and waits to identify its prey before soaring off in pursuit. Snowy owls have keen eyesight and great hearing, which can help them find prey that is invisible under thick vegetation or snowcover. The owls deftly snatch their quarry with their sharp talons.

A snowy owl's preferred meal is lemmings—many lemmings. An adult may eat more than 1,600 lemmings a year, or three to five every day. The birds supplement their diet with rabbits, rodents, birds, and fish.

These magnificent owls sometimes remain year-round in their northern breeding grounds, but they are frequent migrants to Canada, the northern United States, Europe, and Asia. Lemming availability may determine the extent of southern migration, when owls take up summer residence on open fields, marshes, and beaches.

Snowy Owl Range (In the yellow)

Fast Facts

Type: Bird
Diet: Carnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 9.5 years
Size: Body, 20 to 28 in (52 to 71 cm); Wingspan, 4.2 to 4.8 ft (1.3 to
1.5 m)
Weight: 3.5 to 6.5 lbs (1.6 to 3 kg)
Group name: Solitary
Did you know?: Unlike most owls, which are nocturnal, snowy owls are diurnal—they hunt and are active both day and night.

Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man

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The Cuban Screech Owl

Cuban Screech Owl Profile
The goggle-eyed Cuban screech owl gets its other common name, bare-legged owl, from its featherless lower appendages. While most of the world’s more than 200 owl species wear feathers down to their toes, the Cuban screech owl’s warm tropical habitat appears to have encouraged it to evolve permanent Bermuda shorts.

These nocturnal birds of prey are endemic only to Cuba, and their substantial range covers nearly the entire island. They prefer forest and wooded areas with palm trees, which they bore roosting holes into. They will also frequently occupy abandoned woodpecker holes.

Their feathers are dark brown with white spots on top, and their bellies and bottom wing feathers are grayish-white. They have large brown eyes outlined with dramatic white feathers. The Cuban screech owl is not well studied, and information about its diet is scarce, but, like most owl species, it likely feeds on small mammals, other birds, frogs, and insects.

The bare-legged owl became the Cuban screech owl in 1998, when the American Ornithologists’ Union reclassified it in the genus Otus, which includes scops and screech owls. However, in 2003, the union, citing differences in morphology and vocal patterns, reversed itself, placing the owl in its own genus, Gymnoglaux, and restoring its former name.

No reliable population numbers or trends are available on the Cuban screech owl, but it is reported to be common throughout its range. Human encroachment likely impacts some parts of its habitat, but it currently has no special conservation status.

Cuban Screech Owl Range (In the yellow)

Fast Facts

Type: Bird
Diet: Carnivore
Size: 8.5 inches (22 cm)
Did you know?: The visible, bare part of the Cuban screech owl’s “legs” is actually the bird’s feet.

Size relative to a tea cup

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Credit:

Information © AnimalPlanet.com
Information & Pictures © NationalGeographic.com