By Obiabin Onukwugha
Owls are carnivorous birds from the order Strigifomes, which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey. The main difference between the two groups can be seen in the shapes of their faces. Barn owls typically have heart-shaped faces, while regular owls have rounder ones. A group of owls is called “parliament”.
Owls are considered apex predators. Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish. They are found in all regions of the Earth except the polar ice caps and some remote islands.
Aside from their distinct hoot, an owl’s most notable characteristic is its large eyes as they take up most of the space in their skulls. Female owls typically have larger and heavier eyes compared to the males.
However, scientists say the eyes of an owl are not true “eyeballs.” Their tube-shaped eyes are completely immobile, providing binocular vision which fully focuses on their prey and boosts depth perception.
It is said that an owl’s eye color indicates its hunting preferences. Owls with dark brown eye color indicates that they prefer to hunt during the night. Owls with orange eyes actively hunt during twilight. Owls with yellow eyes indicate that they are diurnal or stay active during the day.
Scientists also say owls have three eyelids. The owl’s upper eyelid closes downwards when it blinks. Meanwhile, the lower eyelid closes when the owl is sleeping. Lastly, the third eyelid of the owl is referred to as the nictitating membrane, which protects the eye from dust and keeps it moist.
It is further said that while humans and usual birds have around 7 vertebrates found in their neck, owls have double the amount. The extra vertebrates in their neck gives them a wider range of motion, with the ability to rotate their heads up to 270°.
Depending on the species, owls stand from 4 to 27 inches tall. Owls life span range from 25 to 30 years, depending on the environment they find themselves.
The owl has two stomachs. The first is referred to as the glandular stomach which produces the acids and mucus in its body to help it separate digestible and indigestible parts of its prey. After swallowing its prey whole, the owl vomits out other indigestible remains such as its fur and bones. In total, the owl’s digestion process takes around ten hours to complete.
Owls do not build their nests. More commonly, an owl will take a nest left by a different bird to lay eggs. The female owl would also take scraps of debris and other materials to make the nest sturdier and softer for its eggs. Scientists say around 90% of barn owls will nest once a year, while the remaining 10% will nest twice. However, more commonly, an owl never uses the same nest twice.
It is said that upon hatching, the female owl will typically sit or brood on her newborn owlets to keep them warm.
Owls feed their strongest children first.
When raising their young, the male will typically hunt for food and bring it back to the nest. Additionally, the female will tear up their prey into small pieces and feed them to their babies.
But around 25% of the time, owls will leave their mate to look for another. Although owls are typically known to be monogamous creatures, there are a few cases in which these pairs will separate at a later time. These scenarios include the inability to hatch children.
When such case occurs, the female will typically seek another mate while the male will stay in its original breeding nest. However, most of these pairs typically only spend a year together.
Owls can swim through water. However, these birds generally avoid swimming as they have no means of defense in the water. They also generally avoid getting soaked since they would be unable to fly with wet feathers.
Owls go through a process called ‘molt’ to change their feathers at least once a year. They do this to replace old and damaged ones. The molting process for owls takes around 3 months to complete and happens simultaneously all over its body.
Owls hoot is a primary means of communication with other owls. However, research has shown that owls also do this to claim their territory and warn others of its presence. This way, the hoot prevents intruders from entering their territory.
Called “owiwi” in Yoruba, “ikwiikwii” in Igbo and “mujiya” in Hausa, Owls depict different things in different cultures.
Owls once featured in a film, Harry Potter’s owl Hedwig which was played by 7 different owls. The main owl that took on the role was a trained owl named Gizmo. Much like any seasoned actor, Gizmo had different owl doubles. Among these owl extras were Kasper, Oops, Swoops, Oh Oh, Elmo, and Bandit. The Harry Potter film series features many different owl breeds as companions to the supporting characters.
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Also, Shakespeare once described an owl as a fatal bellman. In his play, Macbeth, Shakespeare depicted owls as messengers of death.
In Greek mythology, the owl of Athena is commonly found on the shoulder of the goddess. According to the lore, this owl revealed the truth of the world to Athena and gave her wisdom. So they are considered symbols of wisdom and focus. Thus the owl also represents Athena’s ability to see what others cannot, hence making her wiser.
In modern behavioral science, it is believed that those who stay up at night are called night owls. Research has also found that these people tend to be more intelligent than early birds.
In most African culture, owls are often associated with wisdom, protection, and intelligence. For example, in some African cultures, owls are believed to be messengers of the gods and are considered sacred animals. They are also seen as protectors of crops and are believed to bring good fortune to those who see them.
A few other African cultures also associate owls with witches and wizard because of its hoot and eyes.
Owls are commonly associated with witchcraft in parts of South Africa and Nigeria. Here, owls commonly symbolize death and witchcraft. This is because owls naturally have nocturnal habits that associates them with mystery and suspicion.
In ancient Mesopotamian myths, the goddess of death was represented with owl-like features such as talons, feet, and feathery wings.
The American animated series Owl House first aired on January 10th, 2020.
The series follows the protagonist Luz who gets transported to another world filled with magic. During her introduction to the world, she befriends a witch and becomes her apprentice in sorcery.
This witch is known as Eda The Owl Witch, infamous for her crimes and mischief.
Some ancient Roman carvings depict Jews as owls. The ancient carvings show Jews in the form of owls and are mobbed by several flocks of doves or sparrows.
Many ancient beliefs also assigned owls as the pets and servants of witches and sorcerers. In traditional medicine, body parts from owls are often used as a common ingredient.
In the United States of America, it is illegal to keep an owl as a pet. The US government only allows a person to keep an owl as a pet after they complete training and acquire a proper license.
The Aztecs and Mayans feared owls.
In the Aztec and Mayan culture, many tribes feared owls as they are considered to be a symbol of death. In Aztec mythology, the god of death is also often visualized with an owl by its side.
The owl also holds great significance in Ancient Egyptian culture. In ancient times, the owl was believed to be a guardian of the underworld. Egyptians believed that the owl could protect the souls of the deceased and those who cross over to the underworld.
In Japan, the Blakiston’s fish owl is called the Emperor of the Night.
The Wardaman tribe in Australia believes that owls created the world. More specifically, this particular tribe believes that an owl named Gordol created the world. The Wardaman tribe is a small group of indigenous Australians who have lived in the South West of the Northern Territory of Australia.
A tribe in Kazakhstan worships the owl spirit. In this tribe, only the female shamans of the group perform rituals in an attempt to connect with the spirit of owls.
The Kazakh tribe is separated into three major clans which include the elder tribe, the central horde, and the junior tribe.
In addition to wisdom, owls are said to symbolize independence, protection, supernatural powers, courage, and strong intuition.
Owls have a lifespan of 10 to 30 years, depending on its species. Bigger owl types live much longer than smaller owls, partly due to both its position in the food chain and its overall lifespan.
