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Why do you think owls have such a reputation for being wise old birds? Is it their big, haunting eyes? The way they swivel their heads around, looking for answers? Maybe it’s their shrugged shoulders and nocturnal schedule?

Well, let’s just say that owls are some of the most highly refined creatures alive today. For example, the Burrowing Owl can imitate the sound of a rattlesnake if a predator approaches their home. These owls also are fond of collecting odds and ends, which they leave around the entranceway to their burrows for decoration. And Screech Owls and Long Eared Owls do a great broken-wing routine to trick prey into thinking they are injured when they are actually just plain old hungry!

Owls also have the ability to fly silently through the night. How so? Their wings have evolved so that the primary feather on each wing is serrated, allowing the air to flow silently through the wing. That of course, allows them to swoop down on their prey undetected. Plus, they can hear better than any bird or animal alive.

Owls are capable of hearing sounds ten times fainter than humans can. How is this possible? First of all, they have extra-large ears which are surrounded by soft, deep feathers that funnel the sounds into their ears. These feathers are not air-tight like most birds’, rather, they are fluffy so that the sound vibrations can penetrate them. Also, they have a moveable flap around the ear which is maneuvered by muscles surrounding the ear opening. Thus the ears are protected, and sound can be concentrated– especially if it comes from behind the bird. Finally, as if it weren’t specialized enough, the owl’s face acts as a parabolic curve (like a satellite dish) which funnels the sound to the ears!

But wait, there’s more! Owls have incredible vision as well. Their eyes are more frontally positioned than any other animal. Human’s eyes allow us 180 degree vision, while the owl’s is 110 degrees, which gives them fabulous depth perception. They can see better than humans in dim light as well– from 35-100 times better than humans. Though they have a bit of trouble seeing things at a close range, owls have compensated by developing rictal bristles around their eyes —which serve much the same purpose as cat’s whiskers — the better to keep track of prey.

Owls are quite a varied classification of birds with 134 known species living throughout the world. Owls are birds of prey, or raptors, which are comprised of the birds who have excellent vision, very fine hearing, hooked beaks, and talons. Raptors include owls, buteos, falcons, accipteus (or, true hawks), osprey, eagles and vultures. Owls generally feed on small ground-dwelling mammals, though some species prefer fish, reptiles, birds, insects or earth-worms. They are hunted themselves by other owls (the Great-Horned Owl is most feared) and mammals fiercer than themselves. Owls are elders on this planet: fossil evidence finds owls’ anscestors dating back to 54-65 million years ago!

These birds do not build their own nests. Usually, they will use abandoned hawks’ nests, human dwellings, natural occurring holes and even human-made boxes. In many places, owls can no longer find a place to live, since humans are destroying much of their habitats. We need to make sure our wise old owls have a place to live. Nature doesn’t make many super-heroes, but owls are definitely perched at the top of the list. Hoot hoot!