The Owl is an animal that symbolizes wisdom, intelligence, mystery and mysticism. On the other hand, this nocturnal bird of prey can symbolize bad omen, bad luck , spiritual darkness, death, darkness and witchcraft. The symbologies attributed to this animal vary greatly from culture to culture. Many of them associate this bird with spiritual symbolism. For Australian Aborigines the owl represents the soul of women. We have selected some interesting facts about these incredible animals that can unravel some myths and secrets. Check out our 10 Cool Facts About Owls.
10. Sharp-tailed Owl
The Sharp-tailed Owl can travel long distances in the open sea. There are records of this species having traveled more than 100 km on a coast of the United States.
9. Asymmetrical Ears
Many owl species have asymmetrical ears. Because they are located at different heights of the owl’s head, their ears are able to identify the location of sounds in various directions.
8. Aegolius funereus owls
In times of abundance, where mice are plentiful, the species of Aegolius funereus owls that are usually monogamous, begin to “spread there wings out,” having several “extramarital relationships.” This is because as there is a lot of food available the work for the parents to feed their puppies is smaller, which allows a free time for the couple to jump the fence.
7. Barn Owl
The Barn Owl, the most common species in Brazil, can swallow its prey all at once, with skin, bones and everything – they eat up to 1,000 rats a year.
6. The Hawk Owl
The hawk owl can detect a rat up to 1 and a half miles away.
5. Owl-elf
The smallest owl in the world is the Owl-elf, which is 5 to 6 centimeters tall and weighs only a few grams. Most of the world owl in height, is Coruja- fisher -de-Blakiston, having up to 75 cm tall and weighs 4 to 5 kg.
4. Owl Vision
Even though owls have binocular vision, their large eyes are fixed in their sockets—just like most other birds—so they need to turn their entire heads to change views. … Their far vision, particularly in low light, is exceptionally good. Owls can rotate their heads and necks as much as 270°.
3. Owls Feet
The foot structure of an owl is called zygodactyl, which is just like the structure of the feet of woodpeckers and parrots. Owls three toes which face forward and one backward whilst flying. However, when perched or grasping prey, the outer front toe can swivel back so that two toes face forward and two face backward. This allows an owl to have better grip.
Not only that, owls are able to lock their toes around an object so that they don’t need to continually contract their muscles. This gives them maximum grip with minimal effort.
2. Owls Are Active When It Is Dark
Owls are nocturnal which means they are active and hunt when in the dark. They make a lot of noise at night especially during mating season. Owls are able to locate even faint sounds with remarkable accuracy. The most studied of these nocturnal predators is the Barn Owl.
1. Some Owls Are Ferocious Hunters
When we think of dangerous predators, owls probably aren’t the first animals that come to mind. Despite that, some species of owls are ferocious hunters in their own right, such as the great horned owl (Bubo virginianus), which the Blandford Nature Center classed as the deadliest owl of all. Owls have extremely powerful low-light vision, and remarkable hearing which allows them to locate small animal.