Bird Snapshots

Every two weeks or thereabouts we will profile a different bird or species.

Owls

Long-eared owl

The Strigiformes (Owls) are in the birds of prey category. Owls comprise some 200 extant species. Most are solitary, and nocturnal, with some exceptions (e.g. the Burrowing Owl). Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds. There are, however, a few species that specialize in hunting fish.

Owls are found in all regions of the planet except Antarctica, most of Greenland, and some remote islands. Although owls are typically solitary, a collective group of owls is called a parliament.

The living owls are divided into two families, the typical owls, Strigidae, and the barn-owls, Tytonidae.

Description

Owls have large forward-facing eyes and ear-holes, a hawk-like beak, a flat face, and usually a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disc. Although owls have binocular vision, their large eyes are fixed in their sockets, as with other birds, and they must turn their entire head to change views.

Owl Behavior

Most owls are nocturnal, actively hunting for prey only under the cover of darkness. Several types of owl, however, are active during dawn and dusk. A few owls are also active during the day. The time at which an owl hunts is correlated with the color of its eyes: dark brown or black eyes indicate nocturnal activity, orange indicates dawn or dusk, and owls with yellow eyes are diurnal and hunt during the day. But there are exceptions. So the color of an owl’s eyes is not a reliable indicator of its active hours.

A lot of the owl’s hunting strategy depends on stealth and surprise. Owls have at least two adaptations that aid them in achieving stealth. First, the dull coloration of an owl’s feathers can render them almost invisible under certain conditions. Secondly, serrated edges on the leading edge of the owl’s remiges muffle the owl’s wingbeats, allowing its flight to be practically silent.

Once prey has been captured, the owl’s sharp beak and powerful talons allow it to kill its prey before swallowing it whole (unless it is too big).

Owls and Humans

Owls have been a feature of falconry for years. In recent years, many owls have moved from their previous rural habitats to start to inhabit urban areas.

Owls have been associated with wisdom and prosperity, as well as with death and misfortune.

Owls as Rodent Control

Placing a box for owls on a property can help control rodent populations (one family of hungry barn owls can consume more than 3,000 rodents in a nesting season) while maintaining the naturally balanced food chain. Owls are, however, also known to become victims of secondary poisoning by eating mice or rats that have previously been poisoned with rodent poisons. So if you do want to use owls as a control of rodents then refrain from also using poisons to kill the rodents.

Owl Conservation

The need for protection of owls is recognized worldwide. Like most wildlife, owls are increasingly threatened by loss of habitat due to human activity or climate change. In tropical countries with high biodiversity, owls and other forest animals are hunted to supplement the diets or the income of impoverished families. In some areas forests have been completely stripped of wildlife. Logging roads have increased access to previously inaccessible forest depths, and modern automatic weapons have made the shooting of wildlife much more efficient. This includes owls as victims.

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