Owls

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Owls
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Owls are nocturnal hunting birds with eyes that
face forwards. They are closely related to hawks.
Owls sleep during the day and emerge at night to
hunt small prey.
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Owls

• Owls are a group of mainly nocturnal birds
• Owls are raptors or birds of prey
• They hunt for their food
• Belong to the order Strigiformes
• Eighteen species belong to the family the Barn
  Owls
• More than 194 known species belong to family
  Strigidae
• Found on every continent except Antarctica
• Great variety of habitats
• Thick forests to open prairies
• Range in size from 4½? to 33?
• Females are about 25 larger

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Behavior
Great Horned Owl

• Most Owls hunt at dusk and dawn
• Spend daytime in a quiet, roost
• Owls normally do not migrate, except in severe
  Northern climates
• Normally roost singly or in pairs may form
  flocks
• A flock of Owls is called a Parliament

staff.washington.edu great_horned_owl_02tk.jpg
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Snowy Owl
www.photo.net snowy-owl-1.4.jpg
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Senses
Burrowing Owl

• Range of hearing similar to humans
• Highly sensitive to noises made by movement of
  potential prey
• Can accurately detect direction of sounds
• Extremely acute eyesight
• Sees well night or day
• Eyes fixed in sockets
• Can only look straight ahead
• Turns head to see surroundings
• Head can swivel 270

http//www.southwestbirders.com
burrowing20owl_012_2s.jpg
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Great Horned Owl
staff.washington.edu great_horned_owl_01tk.jpg
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• Owls have a large head and large eyes that face
  forwards (unlike other birds, whose eyes are on
  the sides of their head). This eye placement
  gives them binocular vision and very precise
  depth perception. Also, there are circles of
  radiating feathers surrounding each eye, giving
  them a wide-eyed, alert look. Owls cannot move
  their eyes within their sockets like we can. In
  order to look around, they have to move their
  entire head, which has a range of movement of
  about 270.

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Spectacled Owl
staff.washington.edu spectacled_owl_03tk-.jpg
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• Prey and HuntingOwls are carnivores that hunt
  during the night (they are nocturnal). They use
  their keen sense of sight to find prey in the
  dark (owls see mostly in black and white). They
  have an acute sense of hearing which also helps
  in finding meals. Owls are stealth hunters, they
  can easily sneak up on their prey since their
  fluffy feathers give them almost silent flight.
  Owls have two methods of hunting Perch and
  pounce - the owl waits on a low tree branch until
  it spots prey. It then swoops down onto the prey.
  This method is used often by owls that live in
  relatively dense forested areas.
• Quartering - the owl flies low over the ground
  looking for prey. This methods is used often by
  owls that live in relatively clear landscapes.
• Owls hunt and eat rodents, insects, frogs, and
  birds. The owl is at the top of the food web it
  has no major predators.

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Western Screech Owl
www.owlpages.com w_screech4_dl.jpg
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Hunting and Diet
Barn Owl

• Owls are usually opportunistic feeders
• Prey includes invertebrates, fish, reptiles,
  amphibians, birds, and small mammals.
• Barn Owls eat mostly mice, shrews, and voles
• Eagle Owls will eat hares, small foxes, and birds
  as large as ducks
• Regurgitate pellets composed of indigestible
  parts
• Highly skilled hunters
• Special feathers muffle sounds of flight
• About 24" from prey, the Owl spreads its talons
• When striking thrusts legs in front of its face
• Often close their eyes before the kill

staff.washington.edu barn_owl_03tk.jpg
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Snowy Owl
www.photo.net-snowy owl-puffed-2.4.jpg
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• Owls eat smaller prey whole and larger prey in
  chunks. They eliminate the inedible parts (like
  hair, feathers, insect exoskeletons, and bone) in
  oval-shaped pellets.

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I can dance! Burrowing Owl
owling.com burrowing11.jpg
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Smallest and Largest The smallest owl in the
world is the Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi), which
is about 6.1 inches (16 cm) long, has a wingspan
of 15 inches (38 cm), and weighs about 1.5 ounces
(4g). The largest owls are the Great Gray Owls
(Strix nebulosa) which are about 33 inches (84
cm) long, have a wingspan of about 5 feet (152
cm), and weigh about 3 pounds (1450 g)
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Elf Owl
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Great Gray Owl
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Works Consulted
Burrowing Owls
The Owl Pages. 23 Nov. 2004 ltwww.owlpages.com/ ph
ysiology/general.htmlgt. Ellie Crystal.
Crystalinks. 1995-2004. 24 Nov. 2004
ltwww.crystalinks.com/totemanimals.htmlgt. Ann
Fearrington. North of the Border. 2000. 24 Nov.
2004 ltwww.studioann.com/trip01_main.htmlgt. The
Owl Pages. 26 Nov. 2004 ltwww.owlpages.com/ mythol
ogy/Default.htmgt. Spirit of the Owl. 1997-2004.
26 Nov. 2004 ltwww.ladyinblack.com/animals/owlspir
it.htmgt Title Page Credit staff.washington.edu
- barn_owl_flying_01tk.jpg
www.cpawscalgary.org cw99-schurig.jpg
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OWL QUIZ 1. Are owls more active during the day
or during the night?_________________ 2. Can
an owl move its eyes up and down or left and
right without moving its head? ________________
3. Do owls have good night vision?_____________
__________ 4. Do owls have a very good sense
of hearing?_______________________ 5. Are owls
noisy while flying or quiet? _____________________

www.salvor.navy.mil PugetSound.jpg
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6. Are there many different species of owls or
just two? _______________________ 7. Do owls
live only in forests or do they live in a wide
variety of habitats? ______________ 8. Are
owls herbivores (plant-eaters) or carnivores
(meat-eaters)? ____________________ 9. Do
owls' eyes face to the side or forwards?
______________________ 10. Do owls have good
depth perception? ______________________
www.krabach.info Samish_Bay_Puget_Sound.jpg