Owls
Owls
Owls have no teeth so they swallow their prey whole.
Owls are one of our most misunderstood birds. Why? First, let’s look at some cool owl facts to understand them.
Believe it or not, they have no teeth, or eyeballs which we will get to in a minute. So how do they chew their food? Ah, they don’t.
They swallow their food whole (think rats, mice, insects, and birds). After digesting it, they throw up the bones & fur. Lovely.
Other Owl Facts
Actually, owls don’t have eyeballs. They have fixed tubes, almost like binoculars.
In order to compensate, they can turn their head 270 degrees. Think about being able to spin your head almost completely around, but with fixed eyes. We can only rotate our heads half that far. Incredible!
Owls can turn their heads 270 degrees. Pretty cool!
The owl’s foot is called a zygoodactyl. Drawing: Encyclopedia Britannica 2013
And What Is A Zygoodactyl?
Third, their foot is called a zygodactyl (now that is a fun word). It has 3 toes facing forward and 1 toe facing backward so they can snatch their prey.
What Is A Group Of Owls Called?
A group of owls is called a parliament. Photo: Tom Rogers
The term was coined by author C.S. Lewis in the books. And speaking of books (and movies), owls deliver mail at Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films. Which of course is a myth since owls can’t carry mail!
The Misunderstood Owl
All 220+ species of owls can be divided into just two families: barn owls and typical owls. They are mostly nocturnal, hunting for food at night, and solitary.
But getting back to being misunderstood. Often portrayed as evil omens, mystical and a symbol of death, people have have come to fear them. As a result, they are sometimes killed because people are afraid of them.
Owls are misunderstood with some folks thinking they are bad omens when in fact, they are good for the environment
Why Are Owls Important?
But owls are critical to our environment as apex predators. They keep rodent and insect populations controlled naturally, both around your house and around crops. No dangerous pesticides needed!
And one of the biggest threats to owls is rodent poison. If you use poison to get rid of mice & rats, you are also killing any animals that feed on those mice & rats, including owls. Since an owl eats up to 3 rats a night, they are much better rodent controllers than any kind of poison.
Plus, owls contribute to our economy? Now that sounds a little farfetched! Well, since owls are one of the most popular birds for bird watchers and bird watchers spend lots of money on tourism to see birds, it makes sense.
And last. but not least, many artists, including Dale, love depicting owls. Art not only helps boast economic development, but touches our heart & soul. Dale’s sculpture of a life-sized snowy owl, “Riding the White Wind”, carved from Yule marble is in the permanent collection of Brookgreen Gardens.
Riding The White Wind by Dale Weiler is in the permanent collection of Brookgreen Gardens.
How Can We Help?
Owl are one of natures best rodent controllers. Photo: Short eared owl by Richard Lee
Keep all food and wrappers inside your car. What happens when you throw food out of your car along roadsides? Owls often swoop down to inspect/eat the food and then are hit by a car.
If you own property, keep netting, barbed wire, etc out. Owls, like all birds, can get tangled up and die. And you might want to consider putting up an owl nesting box to help them with a place to live.
Support organizations such as:
- American Bird Conservancy
- Audubon
- Carolina Raptor Center which cares for hurt raptors including owls.
Learn More
With so many species of owls, how can you find out what kind of owls live in your neighborhood? Listen!
In our North Carolina mountains, we have five kinds of owls. Each owl has a distinctive call at night, which you can learn to recognize. Listen to 4 owl calls in the video below. Which is your favorite?
You can also check out all kinds of fun activities online to learn more about owls. Everything from drawing owls to building a nest box is included in a guide from The National Wildlife Federation.
Bird’s Eye View, all about owls by National Geographic
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