CORUJAS

OWLS

A group of owls is called a parliament. A group of flying owls is

called “silence”, a group of snowy owls – “blizzard”.

There are Owl Cafes in Japan, where you can pet and

play with live owls while enjoying a nice meal.

Harry Potter Studio has been accused of abusing owls. Because the birds are

kept in small cages, made to entertain the public, stay frightened by camera

flashes, loud music and trying to release themselves by chewing the tethers.

Owls don’t have eyeballs. What they have are elongated eye tubes kept in

place by bones in the skull. You will never see an owl rolling its eyes, but you

can be amazed by the moves it does with its neck!

Baby owls are called owlets. Owls lay from 1 to 13 eggs, the exact number

depends on the species, environment and some particular conditions.

Owls have not one, not two, but three eyelids. The first one is for blinking,

the second one to sleep, and the third to keep the eyes clean.

The snowy owl is the largest owl of the tundra. It may be 20-27 inches long,

its wingspan may vary from 4.5-5.5 ft. The oldest snowy owl lived to 9 years

and 5 months.

Owls inhabit all the

continents except for

Antarctica.

They prefer to live

close to inland waters

and estuaries.

Many owl species have asymmetrical ears that are different sizes and

different heights on their heads. Ears are very important for hunting,

they help to detect even when their eyes don't see it.

A barn owl can eat up to 1,000 mice each year. They are used by

farmers to control rodent population in the agricultural fields.

An owl may eat an owl of another species. Great horned

owls may be a threat to smaller owls.

For most owl species, females are larger, heavier

and more aggressive than males.

Owls are far-sighted birds, they cannot focus on objects located next to them.

People can help orphaned owlets to survive by giving them a

big toy owl. The owlets believe the toy to be their mother and

seek warmth under her wings.

Some owls do not hoot

at all.

Snowy owls produce

sounds similar to those

made by seabirds, small

pygmy owls whistle,

screech owls produce

whistling toots.

Owls have been found

in fossil records which

were up to 58 million

years old.

The largest owl fossil

was 3 ft tall.

Some owls can eat prey that is larger than them. Sometimes

they may even attack a young wolf, a small deer or a fox.

Owls may live in cacti. Saguaro cacti of the North America’s Sonora Desert

are tall enough to form a forest comfortable enough for elf owls.

Owl superstitions

associate these birds

with bad luck, death and

stealing souls in many

cultures.

These wonderful birds

were painted in caves

by ancient Egyptians

and Maya people.

Owls are silent killers. Owls have special hooks on their wing

feathers that make their flight silent, so they can easily swoop

down on the prey from behind without being noticed.

FIM

All photos belong to their original authors