Buzz
Owls are truly unique among all bird species. These creatures, with their slightly human-like features, have mastered the night while almost every other bird is restricted to daylight. But despite what we think we know about them, owls have a wealth of little-known facts. These wise beings have many intriguing tales to tell.
10. Extraordinary Blood Flow Adaptations
Owls come in various sizes, colors, and shapes, but they all share one fascinating ability—the power to rotate their heads a full 270 degrees. This remarkable movement is made possible by 14 vertebrae in their necks, compared to the typical seven found in most birds. While this extra flexibility enables their extreme head rotation, it could lead to severe arterial damage and disrupted blood flow in many other animals, including humans.
In their quest to understand how such abilities exist, scientists have found that owls possess specialized blood-pooling systems that gather blood to nourish their brains and eyes when neck movements disrupt circulation. Other remarkable adaptations include rerouted blood vessels and air-filled protective casings around these vessels to prevent rupture and strokes during intense head motion.
9. Owl Pseudo-Cannibalism
Cannibalism typically involves predation within the same species. To the surprise of many bird watchers, owls aren’t opposed to eating other owls from different species. In fact, great horned owls are a primary threat to the smaller barred owl. Conversely, barred owls will prey on even smaller owls.
The spread of barred owls from southeastern swamps to the Pacific Northwest is partly responsible for the decline in Western screech owl populations, due to owl-on-owl predation. Aside from other owls, very few bird species will actively hunt them. Luckily, you can help: If you’re someone who uses recorded bird calls to attract birds, stop. This might make owls call out in response, revealing their location.
8. Unusual Eyes
Owl vision is truly unique. Their eyes are enormous, almost touching inside their head. These eyes are also fixed in place and aren't considered 'eyeballs'—they are tube-shaped instead. Their binocular vision allows them to concentrate fully on their prey and enhances depth perception. However, this also makes them more vulnerable to predators, including other owls and angry songbirds. Thankfully, owls can rotate their heads 270 degrees, compensating for their forward-facing eyes and immobility.
7. Some Eat Plants
Owls are among the most devoted carnivores in the avian world. Although they represent only a small fraction of bird species, these nocturnal hunters rarely resort to scavenging. However, one species stands out in its unique approach to the night. The elf owl, in a rare bird behavior, not only preys on small animals but also incorporates fruits and seeds into its diet. These owls engage in a form of 'cultivation,' spreading dung around their nests to attract dung beetles. These industrious 'birds of prey' prefer prickly pear berries and tasajillo cactus fruits as part of their non-predatory diet.
6. Many Owls Don’t Hoot or Screech
Owls are commonly associated with hooting calls, but many species do not hoot at all. For example, snowy owls from the northern regions emit seabird-like squeaks, which are far from the typical owl hoot. Smaller owls, such as pygmy owls, produce soft whistling sounds. The most surprising example is the screech owl, which doesn’t screech at all but instead gives a series of rapid, whistling toots. The eerie screeches heard from juvenile great horned owls often lead to mistaken reports of a screech owl's call.
5. They Eat Larger Prey Than You Think
Eagle owls are among the largest avian hunters on Earth, blending their immense size with remarkable aggression. They are opportunistic feeders, willing to tackle nearly anything in their path. Veraux’s eagle owls are known to snatch adult vervet monkeys and have no trouble with young warthogs. They will even target fish-eating owls of similar size. Eurasian eagle owls, equally fierce, have been known to kill golden eagles, creatures typically considered invulnerable.
Reports have indicated that these powerful owls attack young wolves, and small deer and foxes are regularly taken. In a particularly dramatic event, a Veraux’s eagle owl killed a giant, cobra-hunting secretary bird. While herons are sometimes eaten, one of the most surprising aspects of their diet is their preference for hedgehogs. Unlike most animals that avoid the prickly quills, these owls use their strong, scaly talons to strip the quills away and enjoy the meat underneath.
4. They Live in Cacti
In the Sonoran Desert of North America, saguaro cacti can reach heights exceeding 10 meters (about 30 feet), creating entire forests. The nesting sites of gila flickers, a type of woodpecker specially adapted for the task, are often used by elf owls, who peer out from the cacti with their striking yellow eyes.
The saguaro cactus forests also host another small owl species, the ferruginous pygmy owl. Slightly larger and far more aggressive, this bird-hunting owl will nest in both saguaro and organ pipe cacti. To continue the trend, large great horned owls frequently make their homes in the crotches of these cacti.
3. They’re Silent Killers
A key factor behind the owl's effectiveness as a hunter is its exceptional hearing, coupled with the ability to remain completely silent. This silent hunting is made possible by unique adaptations. The front edges of their wing feathers feature special hooks that help silence airflow, while the trailing edges have fraying that ensures quiet flight, enabling the owl to swoop behind prey undetected.
To achieve unparalleled auditory detection abilities, owls defy the usual symmetry found in animals. Several owl species feature asymmetrical ears, placed at different heights on their heads. This unique arrangement allows owls to locate sounds in multiple directions, which helps them navigate quickly and precisely toward their prey.
2. Weird Relatives
While owls are commonly known as 'birds of prey,' they are not closely related to hawks, eagles, or falcons, which are considered diurnal birds of prey. Taxonomy is a dynamic and debated field, but both the Sibly-Alquist model and alternative classification methods place owls closer to species like kingfishers, hummingbirds, and even songbirds (such as sparrows) than to hawks. In contrast, hawks and similar diurnal predators are classified as more primitive, sharing ancestral roots with cranes, herons, and other ancient bird species.
Although owls may resemble hawks in appearance, they are actually closer relatives to the humble nightjars, also known as 'goatsuckers.' This similarity is the result of convergent evolution, not a shared lineage. While owls and diurnal birds of prey like hawks have similar ecological roles, they avoid competition by hunting at different times—owls operate at night, while hawks are daytime hunters.
1. Owls and Human Culture
The image of the 'wise owl' is deeply embedded in cultural lore, but owls are also often seen as ominous figures, symbols of evil, or harbingers of doom. They have long been associated with witchcraft and the supernatural. Additionally, owls have gained fame in popular culture, most notably through Hedwig, the snowy owl in the *Harry Potter* series.
Beyond their symbolic roles, owls have been involved in the ancient sport of falconry. Trained falconer's owls would fly off at the signal of their handler, hunting a variety of prey such as rabbits. Though generally nocturnal and difficult to train, some of the larger owls became valued hunting companions in Europe. More commonly, they were used as decoys in falconry, being tethered to a perch to attract hawks for capture, as hawks would harass them.
