Whether you have a squirrel problem around you house, or are just curious about owls, you may have wondered what the diet of owls consists of.

Do owls actually eat squirrels? Well, let’s find out!

Let’s start with the basics. Owls are carnivores, which means they eat meat (other animals). Squirrels are meat, so they certainly qualify to be a part of an owl’s diet.

Owls are bird of prey, and mainly feed on small mammals and rodents, with some insects thrown in for variety. Squirrels are actually considered a type of rodent, so they are within the group animals that an owl might consider food.

So let’s cut to the chase: Yes, owls eat squirrels!

In fact, owls are often used specifically for rodent control. By encouraging owls to live on your property, you are introducing a natural predator that will take care of those pesky mice, rats, and squirrels for you.

Still need more evidence? Take a look at this video on an owl munching down on a squirrel. Tasty!

Owls can actually see extremely well at night, better than most humans in fact. This is partially what makes them such efficient hunters. An owl is able to spot their prey from atop a very tall tree, swooping down to disorient them with their talons before eating them.

Although a majority of owls are partially color blind, this does not inhibit them from seeing at night in any way. In fact, a lot of owls are able to see colors that humans cannot. Of course this varies depending on the species of owl, though most all of them have very good night vision.

You will find that most owls tend to hop, flapping their wings to jump off the ground just a little bit. Most of the time though, owls are either roosting or sitting still atop a tall tree looking for their prey. There are some birds that walk and others that hop, though most owls fit into the latter category.

Because owls have such powerful wings, they tend to use them as much as possible. These animals usually move very deliberately and flap their wings which lift them off the ground, even if it is only a foot or two.

Owls do in fact roost, which is entirely different from nesting, Barred owls for instance, roost inside pines and magnolias, in order to get away from the noise of the nearby songbirds. Of course every owl’s roosting habits are different, depending on the species. Most owls tend to roost inside the cavities of trees though, as they are nice and cozy getaways from the outside world.

This allows them to sleep peacefully without any interruptions at all. Those who keep owls in captivity actually have certain ways of getting these animals comfortable enough to where they can roost normally, as they would in their natural environment.

Around two hours after an owl eats an animal, they usually start to regurgitate the indigestible parts, such as bones along with feathers and teeth. All of these parts are compressed into the form of a pellet which the animal cannot digest. These pellets go from the gizzard of an owl to the proventriculus, where they remain for up to ten hours.

Because these pellets are stored in such a way as to block the animal’s digestive tract, it is impossible for them to eat any other prey until the pellets of indigestible material have been regurgitated completely.

Owls, like most other creatures, do make sounds. These animals make noises when they are calling to mates, which is a perfectly natural thing that most of these birds do. In fact, screech owls are known for the “screeching” sound that most of them make. The typical “whooo whooo” sound that people hear owls make is their mating call, though many owls are good at not being seen or heard, so they will have the upper hand on their prey.

Owls can make all sorts of noises, including those which resemble squealing, hooting, and whining. These animals also express pain like most other animals, with a very audible noise of some kind.

Although there are many different species of owls and all of them are different from the rest in some way or another, there are certain types of owls that have been known to mate for life. Screech owls and Great Horned Owls have both been known to find a mate and keep the same one for the rest of their lives. Barn Owls on the other hand do not mate for life.

Other than owls, there have been many species which have been studied and known to mate with the same partner for life. All owls have different mating habits though, but at least a few species have been known to mate for life.

Owls live in ecosystems all over the world, including deserts. Some of the other types of ecosystems that owls live in include woodlands, open country, and many other places. These animals are found on every single continent except Antarctica. Some of the different species of owl that lives in the desert regions includes the barn owl, great horned owl, and Eurasian owl.

There is no doubt that owls are extremely adaptable creatures as well as keen hunters. While most owls make their nests in the cavities of trees as well as atop them, this is not always the case.

There are in fact certain species of owl that live in the rainforest, including eagle owls and wood owls. In total there are over 160 different species of owls on this planet, some of which reside in the rainforests. Owls can live in just about any environment and they are found all over the world.

Each of these owls has slightly different diets, migration habits, hunting abilities, etc. In fact there are very few places on the planet where owls cannot or do not live, save for Antarctica as well as certain islands around the world.

Whether or not an owl enjoys being petted depends entirely on how it is raised. Most owls in the wild are not fond of being petted by humans as they are not accustomed to this at all. Owls that have been raised in captivity however tend to like being petted because it is what they are used to.

Although not many people keep owls because of the fact that in order to do so legally you need the proper permissions, those which are kept as pets usually like to be petted because they are used to this kind of regular human contact.