Ten Facts about Owls

• There are 134 species of owl, but only six are found in Great Britain and about fifteen in Europe.  They are found in nearly every part of the globe.  57 varieties have 'ear tufts' - ask Heinz about it!    The earliest owls evolved about 50 million years ago.
• The largest is the Eagle Owl which stands up to 30 inches (75cm) high to its tail.   It can have a five foot (1.5m) wingspan and weighs in at six pounds (2.7kg).   The smallest is the Least Pigmy Owl which is smaller than a sparrow.
• An Eagle Owl's eyes are bigger than a man's.   An Owl's eyes are so large that there is no room for them to swivel or move at all within its head.   However, an owl is able to rotate its head through 360 degrees.   It is also able to turn its head back and look vertically.
• The "Ear Tufts" on top of some owls' heads are not ears at all.   An owl's ears are at the side of its head.   Its right ear is larger and higher than the left and it is believed that this offset gives the owl the ability to accurately focus on sounds.  As it turns its head to follow the sound, its eyes are automatically turned so it sees what it can hear.   This is just one reason why the owl is such a formidable hunter.
• An owl's feathers do not have stiff edges like other birds, but are soft and downy, even its legs are covered in feathers.  This allows an owl to fly in virtual silence.   An owl does not oil its feathers as other birds do.   If an owl gets wet its feathers absorb water like a sponge, so they can't hunt in rain and have to shelter until the weather improves.  In the UK the Tawny Owl is the most weather proof and the barn Owl the least.
• Although owls cannot see in total darkness, some owls can see in light levels a hundredth of that in which a man can see.   Barn Owls can catch their prey in absolute darkness provided that their quarry makes a sound.   Owls can also hear and catch small mammals moving about below several inches of snow.
• An owl kills its prey with its tallons, not because they are sharp but by crushing.
• Not all owls hunt at night, some such as the Short-Eared Owl, hunt during the day and roost at night.
• Nearly all owls sleep standing upright, again, the Short-Eared Owl is one of few exceptions to this and it sleeps lying down.
• Barn Owls when seen hunting at twilight give the impression that owls are slow and purposeful, but in contrast a Short-Eared Owl can outfly a Peregrine Falcon and for its own survival sometimes has to.
  And one extra !
• Owls are nearly the most stupid of all birds especially when compared to crows or parrots which are some of the most intelligent.   This was not realised by the Greeks at Athens three thousand years ago.   When they saw a Little Owl nesting in the walls of the Acropolis, they believed that Athena their goddess of wisdom had transformed herself into the owl.

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  The owl became the symbol of Athens.  This Greek   Tetradrachm c440-430 BC shows the head of the goddess Athena, and the Little Owl on the reverse.

GeoffStone@compuserve.com © Geoffrey Stone, Braintree 17-9-02 Last Update 8-2-2004

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