Owl
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
| Owls | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The rare Northern Spotted Owl
Strix occidentalis caurina |
||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
|
An owl is a bird. There are about 200 kinds of owls. They are found on all continents except Antarctica. Owls are nocturnal, which means that they are active at night and sleep during the day. Owls are carnivores, which means that they eat meat.
Owls are found in the mythology of many countries, and are often written about in stories. In stories, owls are often thought of as wise. This is because their eyes both face forward which gives then a human expression.
Contents |
[change] Owls in Nature
Owls hunt for their food, so they are called predators. The animals that are hunted are called prey. Owls' prey may be birds, large insects (such as crickets), small reptiles (such as lizards) or small mammals (such as mice, rats, and rabbits).
Every living thing has adaptations that help it succeed in its environment. Owls have many adaptations that make them good nocturnal predators. Their eyes, ears and feathers have adaptations for hunting in the dark.
Owls have very sharp eyes, especially in low light. Light enters any eye through the pupil, the round black spot in the middle of the eye. Owls can open their pupils wide to let in all the available light. Owls have both eyes on the front of the head. An owl can see something in front of it with both eyes at once. If an animal can see something with both eyes at once, it can tell how far away the thing is. An owl can turn its head in any direction, even straight back. That means the owl can turn its head and look anywhere with both eyes.
Owls have very sharp ears. The feathers around the owl’s eyes point the sound to the bird’s ears. One ear is higher than the other. That difference helps the owl find its prey. An owl can hear a small animal moving in leaves or grass. Some owls can hunt by sound in total darkness. Their feathers have adaptations that make owls able to fly without a sound.
On their feet owls have sharp claws called talons for catching their prey. They have sharp beaks to help them tear their food to pieces. But usually, they swallow prey whole. The owl's stomach cannot absorb bones, teeth, fur, or feathers. The stomach makes these things into a ball called a pellet. Then the pellet comes back out through the owl's mouth. People who study owls take apart owl pellets to see what the owl has eaten.
Each kind of owl has its own sound. Birders and ornithologists (bird scientists) can tell each kind of owl by its call. Owls use their calls to communicate with other owls. Some owls also scream to scare their prey. When the scared animal moves, the owl sees or hears it. Then the owl silently swoops down on its prey.
[change] Owls in culture
Mythology and stories that include owls are:
- Owl-shaped pots were sometimes used to hold body organs in ancient Egyptian burials
- The owl is the symbol of the Greek goddess Athena (Minerva to the Romans)
- Nursery rhyme- "The wise old owl sat in an oak, the more he heard, the less he spoke."
- Poem by Tennyson- "The wise owl in the belfry sits..."
- "Wise Owl" is a character from the Little Grey Rabbit books by Allison Uttley
- "Wol" is a character from the Winnie the Pooh books by A. A. Milne
- Owls carry the mail in the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling
[change] Gallery
 An Eagle-Owl is a very large owl. This is a barred Eagle Owl from Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. |
 This Scops Owl in a tree, Africa, shows how the spotted feathers camouflage the owl during the day time |
 This Masked Owl from Australia shows the circle of feathers around the eyes. |
 Some owls like this Striped Owl from Japan have feather "tufts" that look like ears. |
 This Snowy owl is waiting to see or hear a movement. |
 The owl has swooped down and is seizing its prey in its talons. |
 Owl pellets can tell a lot about the habits of an owl. |
 This owl pellet was taken apart. It contained teeth, bones and fur of small animals. |
[change] See also
