Henry David Thoreau once observed, “I rejoice that there are owls”—and we have to agree. Read on to learn all about a fascinating and formidable bird of prey: the owl!
The Alluring Owl
Most people become attracted to owls at an early age, and they are often the first bird recognized by young children. Any grandparent can recall being delighted by the first “hoo, hoo” of a grandchild.
Our interest in owls goes back thousands of years to caves in France—then Arctic tundra—where an Ice Age artist drew a snowy owl on a cave wall. Owls can also be found on Greek coins and Roman vases, and the oldest owl picture in the United States was painted by native artists 1,000 years ago.
Canadians seem to have a particular affinity for owls—the Provincial Bird of Alberta is the great horned owl, while the Provincial Bird of Manitoba is the great gray owl.
Ever heard the call of a great horned owl? Click here for the bird sound!
Photo: Great Horned Owl
Fascinating Facts About Owls
Owls are highly evolved predators. Here are some of their most incredible features:
Vision
- Some owl species’ eyes are as large as human eyes, despite their heads being just a fraction of the size of ours.
- Owl eyes are not perfectly spherical; instead, they are shaped more like a rounded tube. This gives them enhanced vision, but also leaves them incapable of moving their eyes. To compensate, the owl has a very flexible neck, and can turn its head 270 degrees left or right and 90 degrees up!
- While an owl’s vision is 2 to 3 times better than a human’s, a cat can see twice as well as an owl at night!
- Owls can admit 2.7 times more light than our eyes.
- Owls can focus their eyes 10 times faster than we can, which allows them to make quick flight adjustments to avoid collisions with trees or to catch small prey.
- To protect their eyes while hunting, owls have something called a nictitating membrane or “third eyelid”—a transparent membrane that can be drawn over the eye, but still seen through.
Photo: Barn Owl
Hearing and Hunting
- Owls have a very well-developed sense of hearing. They have asymmetrical ear openings, which permit sounds to be perceived in only a fraction of a second—as little as 3/100,000ths of a second. This incredible ability allows them to hear mice under the snow in winter.
- Large feathered facial discs gather and concentrate sound waves like parabolic antennas.
- Owls have a large wing surface relative to body weight, which allows them to glide noiselessly. A comb-like fringe on the front and trailing edges of their wing feathers and a downy layer of fibers both work to muffle noise effectively. Scientists are using this knowledge to apply owl physiology to wind turbines, fans, cars, and eventually planes.
- Owls hunt at night and prefer to prey on nocturnal animals such as mice, rabbits, voles, and skunks. They also hunt grouse and pheasants.
Photo: Snowy Owl
Nesting
- The great-horned owl male hoots to his mate on the nest and she returns the hoot in what is called “duetting.”
- Female owls are larger and 40% heavier than male owls; this allows for the production of eggs and the generation of heat energy to incubate eggs.
- Many owls nest in February and March in northern latitudes. Some use old nests of hawks and crows, while others nest in hollow trees or bird houses. The male often brings prey for the female as she cannot leave the eggs on a cold, snowy night.
- In areas where there are few or no trees, owls may nest on mounds of grasses and feathers or in underground burrows.
- Owls’ feathers allow them to be highly camouflaged in the environments they frequent. The snowy owl’s white and black-speckled plumage blends in perfectly with the frozen tundra, while the burrowing owl’s tawny-brown feathers match its grassy, sandy home.
- Two to three eggs are the usual clutch for larger owls. They hatch in 30 days and the young fledge in about 10 to 12 weeks. In years with abundant prey, snowy owls may lay 12 eggs, but in lean years, they may not nest at all.
Owls are very curious and imitating their calls or squeaking on the back of your hand in the evening will often bring them near you for a closer view. “Owl Prowls” with birding guides are one of most entertaining of all bird walks. Try to find one in your area!
Have you heard that “hoo, hoo” of an owl? Share your stories below!
Reader Comments
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My sister saw an owl on the
My sister saw an owl on the fence by her house and sent me a picture. There was also an owl out by their new house that one of the children that went to church with them name it Flash Starblazer.
Great Horned Owls
Just returned from walking the dog and seeing a mated pair of Great Horned Owls. I have been seeing them often the past two months. First sighting was with the mating calls and seeing the male (I think) fly from a street light toward the female high in a tree. After having seen them at the end of the sidewalk several times I was on the lookout and tonight I saw the female (smaller) about ten feet off the ground in a tree above the sidewalk. So not spook her I crossed the street where I could look at the power pole where I'd seen the male many times. He was there. The two were about 70 to 100 feet apart near an open field where I presume they can hunt. No pictures but seeing them has been a great experience.
Owls
Excellent article. Thank You Much!
Duetting
My neighborhood in Annapolis, MD has its own Facebook page, and recently one night a neighbor posted she could hear great-horned owls "calling" back and forth to each other. I immediately ran outside and listened for several minutes, smiling the whole time! Apparently, many of my neighbors did the same thing as evidenced by later FB posts. Very cool!
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in world difereand kind of bird as is it for nature so owls interesting
Great Horned Owl nest
I have the pleasure of having a Great Horned Owl nest about 30 meters from my front door. I was able to set up a tripod with a scope and camera mount and watch & photograph 2 seasons of chicks raised. It has been the highlight of my springtime here in NC.
Owls
I absolutely love owls. I have pictures of some short eared owls that I took about 18 years ago. Owls fascinate me and they are so beautiful. I enjoyed reading your blog on owls. Thank you.
Owls
I enjoyed Tom Warren's article on owls. I would like to add that owls trade being waterproof for being silent on the wing. If an owl gets wet it must dry out before it can fly. I learned this watching PBS.
Great Horned Owl
We live at the end of a dirt road right next to a creek on 20 acres of hills and trees in Northwest Missouri. One fall afternoon several years ago I was sitting on the front porch swing playing some tunes on my mandolin when I saw a Great Horned Owl fly into a tree at the corner of the yard next to the creek. He sat and watched and listened for nearly an hour. I couldn't believe he kept sitting there! He would cock his head and listen. Finally, I stood up slowly and kept playing while beginning to walk toward him. He stayed right where he was and kept cocking his head and listening. I got within 20 ft. of him. After several more tunes he finally flew to another tree but kept watching. I actually went to get my camera and came back out surprised to see him still there. So I managed to get a few pics before he flew away. I'll never forget that day as it seemed special. He was beautiful. We hear them a lot in the evenings calling back and forth to each other up and down the creek.
Great Horned Owl
That was a lovely story! Thanks for sharing!
OWLS
I love owls, so this article was a "hoot" for me. Please continue to share your expertise about them. Thanks!