Page 126 - Present Day Wildlife_Float

Owls are birds of prey numbering over 220 species and are spread across approximately 27
genera. They are divided into two families; the family Strigidae (true (or typical) owls) and the
family Tytonidae (barn-owls). Both are members of the order Strigiformes. Owls are found on
every continent on the planet except the polar ice caps and some remote islands. The largest of the
species – by a very narrow margin – is the Bla-
kiston fish owl, weighing around 3.5kg, with a
wingspan of around 200cm. The Eurasian ea-
gle-owl – depending on the owl measured –
comes in a very close second. The smallest of
the species is the elf owl, weighing as little as 31
grams and measuring only 13.5 cm long with a
wingspan of about 27cm. The earliest ancestor
of the present day owl is believed to have ap-
peared around 57 to 60 million years ago.

All owls have a flat face, with two fixed
penetrating eyes and a typical bird of prey
clawed beak. Some have ear tufts to help them
with their hearing, while others do not; these
‘hidden’ ears depend on the concaved disk
shape their eyes are sunk into, to funnel sound
into them. Apart from the burrowing owl
which has long legs for running, owls have
short legs for perching on branches, and four
toed feet with long talons. The pattern and col-
our of their faces and their bodies – the Barn
Owl being an exception – is dictated by the environment they inhabit. For instance, the snowy
owl, is white with flecks of black, allowing it to blend with its snowy surroundings, while the mott-
led wood owl, has shades of brown, tan, and black, making it near invisible among the trees.

Owls are found in all known habitats, grasslands, rainforests, and woodlands; any area or
region capable of sustaining the wildlife it hunts. Owls are finely tuned for hunting in the environ-
ment they inhabit. Most are nocturnal, though a few like, the little owl, are diurnal and active dur-
ing the day, while a small number of others like, the great horned owl, are crepuscular and active
only in the twilight hours. Apart from their blending body colours and patterns they have specially
adapted body and wing feathers that allow them to soar silently through the air, though some like
the fish owl, whose hunting ground is over water, do not have these adaptations. Even the owls’
ears, set at different angles on its skull, allow the owl to pinpoint the exact location of any sound it
hears by simply comparing the time-lapse between the sound reaching each ear. Owls have binoc-
ular vision, and with their eyes fixed they must rotate their entire heads to see what is happening
around them. Although short sighted, its far vision is excellent. Its large round eyes are fine tuned
for night vision and with the light they allow in the owl can make out the slightest changes in the
dark. Owls communicate with one another through a series of hoots, chirps, and whistles, though
different species can have different sounds. Females sound much higher than males.

Owls spend much of their time hunting for food. Most are carnivores, living on a diet of frogs, liz-
ards, snakes, fish and rodent-like mammals, such as voles and mice. However, many of the small-
er species like, the flammulated Owl, are insectivores, and live mostly on insects. Owls use their
beaks and talons to eat large prey but smaller animals they swallow whole. When hunting is good
and prey plentiful, owls will cache or hide any excess food in holes in trees, behind rocks, or in
clumps of grass, returning a few days later to eat the cached food. As winter approaches and food
becomes scarce, some owls living in colder northern regions, like the snow owl, short-eared owl
and northern saw-whet owls, will migrate south. However, which owls migrate is usually dictated
by the availability of food and many owls in warmer climates do not migrate. Owls are highly effi-
cient predatory birds and in their environment are at the top of the food chain. However, owls can
still fall victim to predators such as, foxes, coyotes, wildcats, raccoons, snakes, other predatory
birds including other large owls.