Owl Facts

About the owl

More than 200 owl species exist, split into two families: typical owls and the barn and bay owls. Most hunt alone after dark, catching rodents and other small mammals, insects and smaller birds, and a few specialize in fish. They live everywhere but the polar ice caps and a handful of remote islands. A couple of species break the mold, such as the northern hawk-owl, which hunts by day, and the sociable burrowing owl.

The flat face holds a ring of feathers called a facial disc that funnels sound toward ears set at uneven heights. Because owl eyes are fixed in place, the whole head has to turn, and it can swivel as far as 270 degrees. That trick depends on 14 neck vertebrae (people have seven) plus extra-wide openings for the arteries so blood keeps flowing to the brain.

Did you know?

• In English, a gathering of owls goes by the name parliament.
• Owls are farsighted and can't focus on things sitting just a few centimeters from their eyes.
• Fine, hairlike feathers around the beak and on the feet work as feelers so an owl can sense prey it has caught.