31 Interesting Owl Facts

Owls are birds. Owls mostly feed on insects, small mammals and other birds. Some species of owl's also feed on fish. There are more than 200 species of owl. 

Owl's are classified in to 2 families. The barn-owl family and the true owl family. Quite an interesting fact about owl's; a group of owl's is called "parliament".

Interesting Owl Facts

31 Interesting Owl Facts

1. A baby owl is called an owlet.

2. Owls are mostly active at night. They are nocturnal.

3. Height of an owl varies from 4 to 27 inches, depending on their species.

4. The eyesight of owl is binocular. They have excellent vision.

5. Owls have 3 eyelids. The lower eyelid closes when owl is sleeping. The upper eyelid closes downwards when owl blinks. The third eyelid protects the eye's from dust and keeps it moist.

6. The feet of owls are hardly visible. They are covered by feathers. 

7. Owls can not be kept as pets in United States. 

8. Owls don't make any sound when they fly. 

9. Barn owls are owl's with a heart shaped face and dark eyes.

10. Owls don't build their own nest. They use the nest's made by other birds but modify it as per their requirements.

11. Barn owls have lopsided ears. Lopsided ears helps them to locate the exact spot from where the sound is coming.

12. Owls can turn their head 270 degrees. That is 135 degree one side and 135 degree on the other side.

13. The weight of an owl's eyes is 1 to 5 % of it's weight.

14. There are owl cafes in Japan where you can sit near them.

15. The elf owl is the smallest owl in the world.

16. Apart from hooting, owls also chirp, whistle, bark, growl, screech and shriek.

17. On an average, female owls are larger than male owls.

18. The color of an owls eye indicate what it eats. Owls with dark brown or black color are nocturnal, yellow eyes are diurnal and orange eyes are active during twilight.

19. Owls are found on all continents, except Antarctica.

20. Owls rarely drink water but you can see them bathing. Their water requirement is fulfilled by the preys which they eat.

21. Owls easily camouflage with their surrounding. You can hardly see an owl sleeping in broad daylight as they camouflage very well.

22. Owls are friends of farmer. They act as pest control for farmers. They eat the rodents in the field.

23. Owls live in solitary. Owls lay few to a dozen eggs.

24. The average lifespan of an owl is 20 years.

25.  All the owl's eggs, don't hatch at the same time.

26. The largest owl that is extinct is the Cuba's giant owl.

27. Owls don't have teeth. They tear apart their prey or swallow it. 

28. Owls can not turn their eyes.

29. Owls have 4 toes. 3 toes are facing forward and 1 toe is facing backward to have firm grip on their prey.

30. Some people associate owl with bad omen and kill it.

31. The eyes of an owl are so large that there's no room in their skull for eye muscles.

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