Owls of The World

Owls are birds of prey ranging in size from 12-72 cm (5-29"). Their plumage is soft and dense, usually in shades of grey, white or brown with darker markings. Both sexes look alike but females are larger, except for the Burrowing owl.

Their bill is strong, short and hooked at the tip. Unlike other birds, owls have serrations on the front edge of their wings which enables them to fly silently. The short legs are covered with feathers, end in shap talons and have a reversable outer toe.

The Barn owl is placed in a separate family because they have a heart-shaped facial disk, no ear tufts and some skeletal differences.

True owls have round facial disks, and many species have ear tufts. The tufts are merely upraised feathers which aid their camoflage. The ears are located on the side of the head, concealed by the edges of the facial disck, which functions acoustically by collecting sound waves and funneling them to the ears.

All owls have excellent sight with large, forward facing eyes that give them binocular vision. Because the eyes are tubular, they move only slightly in their sockets so owls must rotate and bob their heads for vision and accurate judgement of distance.

Their night vision far exceeds that of other birds, and they can see up to 100 times better than humans at night. They have a third eyelid or nictitating membrane that protects their highly sensitive eyes in bright daylight.

Most owls are nocturnal, but some do hunt by day. They hunt by flying slowly and silently a few feet above the ground, listening for prey. Owls consume large numbers of rodents destructive to agriculture, as well as insects, small birds, spiders, reptiles and fish. The indigestible bones, fur, insect casings and feathers are coughed up in small pellets.

There are 151 species of owl found around the world from the Arctic to cool temperate regions in the southern hemisphere.

People have always been fascinated with owls because they are at home in the world of darkness which is so alien to humans. They have been considered harbingers of death, disease and bad luck for centuries, but the Japanese believed they had the power to ward off evil.

Owls became symbolic of intelligence because it was thought they had the power to predict the future. In ancient times, their nocturnal habits and ominous hooting sounds became associated with the occult and otherworldly matters.