Northern Saw-Whet Owl

Northern Saw Whet Owl

  Genus: Aegolius acadicus Nicknames: Acadia Owl, Saw-Filer, Sparrow Owl and Queen Charlotte Owl. Size: The Northern Saw-Whet Owl stands tall at 7 to 8 and a half inches, weighs 2 and a half to 3 and a half ounces, and holds a wingspan of 19 inches. Appearance: This owl physically varies from the common […]

Four-Eyed Wonder

The Northern Pygmy owl assumes a number of different faces as its disguise. Dark marks on the back of its head are often confused by predators and other birds as false eyes. In addition to appearing attentive, the Pygmy owl can camouflage itself as a standing pine cone at the top of pines.

Northern Spotted Owlet Born Out of Incubator

Article Date: 2012-06-26     British Columbia, Canada With the aid of an incubator, a northern spotted male owlet has been given birth to by a captive owl mother. The birth of this endangered animal was assisted by observatory workers; who are refreshed to see new beginnings for the northern spotted species. Through years of […]

Screech Owl

Screech Owl

  Genus: Megascops acio Nicknames: Feathered wildcat (for their aggressive hunting tactics) Size: The screech owl measures as one of the smallest owl species in the world. It stands at 7-10 inches tall, weighs 4 to 6 ounces and has a wingspan of 18 to 24 inches. Appearance: Similar to most owl species, female screech […]

5 Reasons to Love Owls

5 Reasons to Love Owls

5 . Pop Culture We’ve come a long way since Mr. Owl was introduced in Winnie the Pooh as the wise, old, prudent sir that lived next door to his boisterous group of friends. Owls are beginning to shed their symbol of a mere wisecrack, and developing a spot in the 21 century. Just to […]

Predator and Prey

In a heist to capture prey, the Borrowing Owl surrounds its nest with the feces of neighboring mammals, such as cows and horses. The dung attracts the attention of dung beetles, making lunch an easy find.

Stealthy Soaring

Stealthy Soaring

In order to adapt to their predator roles, Owls have developed a method of flying that minimizes the sounds made between their feathers. The flaps are muted with the leading edges of their primary feathers covered with a tough fringe. This reduces turbulence, which in turn reduce the noise while flying. Their downy feathers encase […]

The Story of Bloudeuwedd

Bloudeuwedd

Owls are believed to have played a more prominent role in early Celtic cults, and could perhaps have derived from a more broadly based deity of a common European descent. Predating the Greek cult of Athene, for whom the owl was an animal attribute, were images of these mysterious birds in Celtic lands. Owls are […]

Owls in Cultures: Legends and Folklore

Folklore surrounding the Barn Owl is better recorded than for most other Owls. In English literature the Barn Owl had a sinister reputation probably because it was a bird of darkness, and darkness was always associated with death. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the poets Robert Blair and William Wordsworth used the Barn Owl […]

Fact or Fiction?

Don’t be mislead by common speculation; owls are actually not capable of turning their heads 360 degrees. Due to their fixated eye sockets, owls can change their viewing range up to 270 degrees.