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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing owls. There are over 200 owl species alive today. These species are split into two families: barn owls and true or typical owls. Barn owls have heart shaped-faces and only account for two dozen of the living owl species. Owls live on every continent besides Antarctica. They can be found in a range of habitats including oceanic islands where some species are endemic. Owls live in forests, deserts, tundras, grasslands, jungles, as well as human-made settlements. That being said, many people have never seen an owl in the wild.

Owls are primarily nocturnal or crepuscular creatures. They spend most of the day hiding in log hollows like woodpecker holes or abandoned mammal burrows. The color of their plumage, or feathers, helps them blend in with their surroundings making them almost undetectable to both predator and prey. When in flight, many owl species are nearly silent. Listen to the sound a diurnal bird’s wings make. You’ll hear the distinct flapping sound. Many owls don’t make this sound. Owl feathers are specifically designed with rough, comb-like edges on the front and soft downy plumage on the back so that their wing beats are nearly imperceptible. This gives them a huge advantage while sneaking up on prey. Equipped with excellent camouflage, feathers designed to keep them stealthy, and being literal night owls, it’s no wonder these birds are tough to spot in the wild. In fact, you’re more likely to hear an owl than see one! Here are a few of their calls.

Some people believe that owls can see in the dark, but this isn’t entirely true. Like cats, owls can see well in dim light, but they depend on their sense of hearing to locate prey in absolute darkness. Owl ears are unique because they’re not symmetrical. One ear may be larger than the other and they may be located at different heights on the head. These differences help owls pinpoint noises made by prey up to half a mile (800m) away! Owls eat animals. Their main diet is rodents but they also eat insects, reptiles, and even fish! Owl eyes are fixed in their head so that they don’t move around, this is why owls turn their heads to look around: they literally can’t move their eyes! Again, some people believe that owls can turn their heads a full 360 degrees, however, they’re limited to about 270 degrees in either direction.

Owls eat their food whole and regurgitate anything indigestible such as fur, bones and teeth in the form of a pellet. Female owls tend to be larger than their male counterparts. The smallest owls weigh about the same as a slice of bread. Their wingspans reach a foot (30.5cm) in length. The largest owls have more than six foot (1.8m) wingspans. Smaller owls and owl eggs are predated by larger predators like foxes or even bigger owls.

Owls are considered non-migratory, though some species may move between habitats based on the season. Lowered owl populations are not caused by lack of food but lack of suitable nesting sites. Owls do not build their own nests and instead move into abandoned nests left behind by other birds such as hawks. They live a solitary life or they may share a hunting range with their partner. To entice his girl, a male owl may present food offerings before they mate. Owl eggs are spherical in shape and mothers will lay eggs over the course of a few days. The eggs will not all hatch at the same time meaning the first to hatch will be the largest hatchlings in the nest. Some owls can live well past ten years of age, though their lifespan largely depends on the species.

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