Some animal live in herds of packs, while others live alone, away from other members of their species, for most of their lives. These animals that live alone are known as solitary.

It is common knowledge that many birds at least migrate together, in flocks. What about owls? Do owls congregate with other owls, or are they solitary?

For the most part, owls are completely solitary with the exception of when it’s time to find a mate. Although, some owls can and will let off certain vocalizations if they feel threatened, to warn other owls in the area of the potential danger.

There are so many ways to classify animals, and it can get confusing to remember which animals belong to which groups.

So what about owls? Are owls birds or mammals?

Owls are definitely birds!

While owls do share some similarities with mammals, such as being warm blooded vertebrates, there are significant differences which put owls firmly into the bird category.

First of all, owls lay eggs, rather than giving live birth as mammals do. Also, owls’ bodies are covered in feathers, while mammalian bodies are typically covered in hair or fur.

The most striking difference between birds and mammals is of course the ability to fly! The only mammal that can truly fly is the bat, whereas most species of bird can fly with ease.

The appearance of certain species of owl, with no apparently visible ears, has given rise to the notion that they cannot hear at all.

Can this really be true? Are owls deaf?

No, not at all! Quite the opposite, actually.

In fact, owls have extraordinary hearing. It has been observed that they can hear the rustling of a mouse from up to half a mile away. This incredible hearing makes it possible for owls to hunt in near complete darkness, using only their ears to locate prey.

It is akin to the advanced sense of smell that entertain other animals possess, which also allows them to detect predators or prey at great distances.

Owls, like most birds or prey, have excellent vision. Seeing as how owls are nocturnal, they have particularly good night vision, estimated to be up to 100 times more powerful than a human’s.

But with this amazing eyesight, can they also see in color?

The answer is that owls are indeed color blind, as are most other nocturnal birds. This means that owls can only see black, white, and shades of gray.

When you really think about it, it does make sense. Being the case that owls only hunt at night, there wouldn’t be much use for color vision. Why take up space in the eye for color detectors, when more light detection would be far more useful?

Many birds of prey have been known to hibernate during the winter season as it is simply too cold for them during this time. Owls are no exception to the hibernation process that takes place during winter season. In fact most species of owls hibernate in the same way other birds do. One exception to this rule however is the Snowy Owl. The Snowy Owl is the only owl that is known not to hibernate. Rather than hibernating during the winter it migrates to a warmer location and then migrates back after the winter season is over.

Owls have many interesting features, however probably the most interesting of these features are their eyes. An owl’s eyes are unlike the eyes of other birds which usually are located on the side of the head. In fact an owl’s eyes may account for one to five percent of their body weight depending on the species and are large, round, and facing forward. This forward facing position gives the bird a binocular vision, able to see an object with both eyes at the same time. Furthermore what this means is that the owl is able to see objects in three dimensions. (height, width, and depth) this also gives them the ability to judge distances in a similar way that humans can. An owl’s field of vision is about 110 degrees, with about 70% of that accounting for binocular vision.

An owl’s eyes are so well developed that they are able to see quite efficiently in low lighting conditions. However interestingly enough, their eyes are not really “eyeballs” rather than they are elongated tubes that are held in place by bony structures in the skull known as Sclerotic rings. It is for this reason that owls are unable to roll or move their eyes, instead it can only look straight ahead.

However, to the owl’s advantage is its flexible head which is able to turn around and almost upside down as well. This is more than enough to help compensate for not being able to move its eyes. An owl’s neck is very long, flexible and hidden by feathers. Their necks consist of fourteen vertebrae, which is twice as many as humans have. This allows for these amazing creatures to turn their heads through a range of 270 degrees measured from a facing forward position.

Since owls are nocturnal animals that hunt their prey during the night, their eyes are well equipped at collecting and processing light. This all starts with the large cornea (the transparent outer coating of the eye) and the pupil (the opening at the center of the eye). The pupil’s size is controlled by the iris (the colored membrane that is suspended between the cornea and the lens) When the owl’s pupil becomes larger it allows more light to pass through the lens and onto the large retina (the light sensitive tissue on which an image is formed). An owl’s retina has an abundance of rod cells (light sensitive rod shaped cells) that are very sensitive to light and movement but do not react well to color. Cells that do not react well to color are known as cone cells. Owls possess a few of these cones. These cone shaped cells are what cause most owls to see in limited color, or in monochrome. However, to say that owls have trouble seeing well in strong lighting is not true.

Owl’s have a wide range of adjustment in their pupils which allow the right amount of light to strike the retina thus allowing some species of owls to see even better than humans do in bright light. To help protect their eyes, owl’s eyes are equipped with not one, but three eyelids each. They have a normal upper and lower eyelid like most animals with the upper eyelid closing when the creature blinks, and the lower lid closing up when the owl sleeps. However the third eyelid is referred to as the nictitating membrane and it is a thin layer of tissue that closes diagonally across the eye, from the inside to the outside, helping to protect the surface of the owl’s eye.

All owls lay white eggs which suggests that they all evolved from a hole nesting ancestor. Elaborate markings to conceal the eggs from predators are not needed in dark holes, instead they are white and easier for the parents to see. The number of eggs an owl lays varies from species to species, year to year, and on the individual birds themselves. In general, larger birds have been known to lay fewer eggs, and birds from tropical regions have been known to lay fewer eggs than birds found in more extreme latitudes. In some cases, certain species of owls such as the barn owl or snowy owl have been known to increase the size of the clutch as preying availability increases, while other times they have abandoned breeding completely in years where their prey’s population has decreased.

Owl eggs are a spherical shape and in most species the female owl begins incubating as soon as the first egg is laid. The owl’s eggs are laid at intervals of at least a day, often more, resulting in what is referred to as asyncronised hatching, where the eldest owlet can be up to two weeks older than the youngest this way each owlet reaches its peak food demand period at different times, spreading the demand for food out over time. In lean years, the older and stronger owlets will survive, and the younger owlets that die off may even be utilized as a food source for the remaining owlets. Owls have been known to lay between one to thirteen eggs depending on the species and the season, however three to four eggs is usually more typical in most owls.

During the incubation process, and until the smallest owlet is large enough to maintain its own body temperature, food is provided by the male owl and is delivered up to as many as ten times a day. The female mother rarely leaves the nesting site and develops a sparsely feathered area on her belly known as a brood patch. This almost bare belly patch has a higher density of blood vessels than other parts of the skin and provides the eggs and/or young with direct warmth. Rather than providing food for her young, she dispatches the food and feeds the owlets small slivers of the food until they can swallow the prey whole, she then helps the male owl with hunting. Young owlets begin producing pellets as soon as they begin eating whole prey, or prey parts that consist of bones, fur, and other indigestible parts.

The age of fledging (learning to fly) varies greatly on the species, etc. and some owls have even been known to remain in one area until the following year. Eventually the young owlets learn to hunt and often start off by hunting and eating insects, and other food sources brought in by the parents, which sometimes may still be alive. Most species are independent by the time their first winter hits, and the parents in many cases have also been known to begin driving the owlets away prior to this.

For most owl species, breeding usually occurs during the spring. However, all the upbringing of the young and the period immediately following their fledging really depends on the weather, food availability, competition from other owls, disease, and availability of a suitable mate. Everything is usually timed to coincide with the maximum abundance of prey animals. Courtship rituals vary from species to species, but usually involve calling. In this case, the male owl usually will try and attract a female to a suitable nesting area by using special courtship flights, calls and offerings of food. Copulation follows the acceptance of food by the female. There is also often mutual preening where the pair perch close together.

In general, owls are monogamous creatures with pairs being compromised of one male owl and one female owl, neither of which is involved with any other nesting birds. Within some owl species, the pair bonds only for the duration of the breeding season. This especially depends on if the species is migratory. In other species such as the Little Owl, pairs may be known to remain together throughout the year. While, Tawny Owls have been known to pair up for life.

Owls are very territorial creatures. This often shows during breeding season. They will often be found vigorously defending their nests and surrounding the feeding territory against members of the same species, or against other birds who may try to compete for the same resources of food.

One way in which owls differ from other bird species is that they are not best builders. Rather, they prefer to use readymade nests by taking over other abandoned bird nests, or forcing a squirrel out of its nest. They are opportunistic creatures in this sense and will often even be seen breeding in open terrain on the ground. Holes in trees, hallows of tree trunks, holes in barns or other buildings, and/or natural rock crevices all make great nesting sites for many species of owls. As a general rule, owls will also usually try to reoccupy the same nesting territories in consecutive years.

Owlets hatch with the aid of an Egg Tooth (a unique protrusion on the beak, common to all birds, which drops off a week or two after hatching). Upon hatching, owlets are blind and have a thin coat of natal down. Within one to two weeks, a thicker second coat of down appears. This coat is known as mesoptile. As early as three to four weeks, some species of young may begin to leave the nest and clamber about. In tree nesting species, these owlets are referred to as Branchers. The next stage of development is fledging (mentioned above) this is where the owlets learn to fly. Fledging depends on the species. Some species begin to fledge as early as four to five weeks, while others take as long as nine to ten weeks to begin the process. Most owls reach sexual maturity and are ready to reproduce about a year after they hatch. However, in larger species breeding may not begin until their second or third year.

Many people think that it would be fun to keep an owl as a pet, however very few people actually know what would be involved in caring properly for one. First and foremost, in most countries it is illegal to keep an owl as a pet without obtaining a special permit. Some countries issue permits to individuals to keep owls after necessary training and after proper facilities have been built. However the United States does not allow private individuals to keep native owls as pets.

These creatures may only be possessed by trained, licensed, individuals while being rehabilitated, as foster parents in a rehabilitation facility, as part of a breeding program, for educational purposes, or in some cases some states may allow certain species to be used for falconry. In any case, even in these instances the person licensed to keep the owl does not “own” the bird. Rather, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service retains “stewardship” of the owls so that they may recall them at any time if the proper conditions are not being met.

Besides owls being illegal to own as pets in most countries, there are a few other reasons it is a bad idea to keep them as pets. One such reason is they can be very destructive as they have a natural instinct to hunt and/or kill. When being treated as domesticated animals, they have been known to destroy things such as blankets, pillows, clothing, stuffed animals, etc. and have been known to shred things and use their talons to destroy woodwork and strip off the finish on it.

Another down side to keeping owls as a pet is the fact that they are nocturnal animals. This means that they are most active at night, thus keeping the household awake while making a lot of racket. This especially worsens during mating season. Owls make quite a racket hooting and calling out to other birds during mating season and can also become irritable.

Owls do not enjoy being pet or cuddled. Even when captivated, they still retain their natural instincts and often will become aggressive and/or may even try to bite. If an owl doesn’t like something that you are doing it is going to let you know by biting, using its talons to scratch, and/or just being downright mean. They also require daily feeding, cleaning and attention and owls that are able to fly need to be able to fly regularly. Great horned owls have been known to live up to the age of thirty. Smaller species can live up to the age of ten. Taking care of an owl is a long term commitment and a lot of work.

Something else to keep in mind is that veterinarians do not usually have the necessary training to properly care for owls, so should you need to make a vet visit for something, this could turn into a major problem especially if your owl is ill. Besides getting sick, owls are very messy creatures to keep as pets. They have been known to molt several thousands of feathers a year and throw up pellets of bones and fur of the animals they eat wherever they happen to be at the time. So if cleaning up owl poop, feathers, and regurgitated remains of smaller mammals is something that sounds like fun, an owl might be something you’re interested in, but in most cases its not something many would like to try and pursue.

If you are not prepared to thaw and cut up dead animals every day to feed to your owl and then go on a scavenger hunt for the remains later (owls like to hide the remaining leftovers for meals later) than keeping an owl as a pet is probably not for you. Owls cannot simply live off of bird feed such as other birds. Feeding them a proper diet can be gross and become quite expensive and tiresome over time. Since owls are carnivores that naturally hunt their prey at night, they require a diet of whole animals such as rodents, rabbits, frogs, smaller birds, etc.

Owls are quick, agile and can be extremely dangerous especially around children and smaller pets such as cats or dogs. There have even been instances where well trained bird trainers have even lost eyes to an owl’s powerful talons. Just imagine what would happen to your average person trying to tame and keep an owl as a pet.

Perhaps one of the nastiest and most difficult things about keeping an owl as a pet is its bowel habits. Obviously, it poops (a lot). However besides pooping a lot it also must empty out its ceca at the end of its intestines about once a day. This discharge has the consistency of chocolate pudding and smells absolutely horrid. It is messy to clean up and it stains horribly.

If you like to travel occasionally, owls are not a good thing to have around. Its not like you can just take an owl along if you need to go on an airplane or just hire your average teenager to owl sit for a weekend. Owls are high maintenance creatures that require special care, dieting, etc. and usually in order to take an owl to another state, country etc. you even have to have a permit every time you cross state lines. Owls like routine, so anything that disrupts this can be seen as a threat to the owl causing it to behave more aggressively. Not only can this be dangerous for whoever you have managed to talk into caring for the owl while you are gone, but it is also bad for the owl’s health as it causes unnecessary stress on the creature.

So now that you fear you will never vacation again, will never eat chocolate pudding ever again, and have scared all the children, pets and animal sitters out of the neighborhood, maybe you should opt for a goldfish instead.

It is true that owls are carnivores, they eat meat. They are nocturnal animals that hunt their prey during the night by using their keen sight to track their prey down. An owl’s eyes are large and face forwards, unlike other bird’s whose eyes are placed on the sides of their heads. This gives owls the advantage of having binocular vision and a very precise depth perception. They are able to move their head about 270 degrees. Another thing to note is the circle of feathers radiating and circling each eye, which gives them a wide eyed and intimidating appearance. What prey wouldn’t be frightened by this appearance?

Their acute sense of hearing is also quite helpful in carrying out the task of hunting prey. They are also often successful in easily sneaking up upon their prey due to the fact that their fluffy feathers enable an almost completely silent flight. Their thick, fluffy feathers absorb the sounds that they make during flight. Some owls, have feathered ear tufts, these are also helpful in sneaking up on prey, because they are camoflauge.

There are about one hundred sixty two different species of owls known to be alive today. Owls are found worldwide in a great range of habitats, residing everywhere from rainforests to grasslands and tundra. Owls have two methods of hunting. The first is known as perch and pounce, when using this method the owl waits on a low branch until it spots its prey and then swoops down onto the prey. This method is often practiced most often by owls who live in relatively dense wooded areas such as a forest. The second hunting method owls used is known as quartering. When quartering, owls fly low over the ground looking for prey to feast upon. This method is often used by owls that reside in relatively clear landscapes.

An owl’s diet consists of a variety of different animals ranging from small mammals to medium sized mammals. A few mammals they have been known to eat include: rabbits, skunks, voles, rats, mice, and shrew. Smaller owls have been known to feast upon insects, and other invertebrates such as snails, moths, crickets, and scorpions. Frogs and smaller birds are also often victims for a hungry owl searching for a quick bite to eat.

Everything an owl eats is eaten in chunks. They regurgitate the inedible parts of their prey (hair, teeth, bones, feathers, insect exoskeletons) in oval shaped pellets. Another interesting fact about the owl is that it is at the top of the food web. It has no major predators among it.

Owlets may sometimes become prey to a fox or another animal of the like when learning to fly if they are on the ground, and every once in a while a snake may be a problem in tropical areas where owlet’s reside, as there are a few species that have been known to climb up into nests, though these are very rare occurrences, and often if mama owl catches it first, the snake in most cases ends up becoming the meal instead of finding a meal for itself. Crows have been known to harass owls a great deal, but don’t actually cause any harm to the owl.

Smaller owls such as the screech owl may rarely be preyed upon by larger hawks or owls, and are vulnerable on a nest to raccoons. Whereas eggs and nestlings of owls may be preyed on by a range of nest predators such as squirrels, or other birds. However, again owls are not often preyed upon at all.