Download - Corujas owls
CORUJAS
OWLS
A group of owls is called a parliament. A group of flying owls is
called “silence”, a group of snowy owls – “blizzard”.
There are Owl Cafes in Japan, where you can pet and
play with live owls while enjoying a nice meal.
Harry Potter Studio has been accused of abusing owls. Because the birds are
kept in small cages, made to entertain the public, stay frightened by camera
flashes, loud music and trying to release themselves by chewing the tethers.
Owls don’t have eyeballs. What they have are elongated eye tubes kept in
place by bones in the skull. You will never see an owl rolling its eyes, but you
can be amazed by the moves it does with its neck!
Baby owls are called owlets. Owls lay from 1 to 13 eggs, the exact number
depends on the species, environment and some particular conditions.
Owls have not one, not two, but three eyelids. The first one is for blinking,
the second one to sleep, and the third to keep the eyes clean.
The snowy owl is the largest owl of the tundra. It may be 20-27 inches long,
its wingspan may vary from 4.5-5.5 ft. The oldest snowy owl lived to 9 years
and 5 months.
Owls inhabit all the
continents except for
Antarctica.
They prefer to live
close to inland waters
and estuaries.
Many owl species have asymmetrical ears that are different sizes and
different heights on their heads. Ears are very important for hunting,
they help to detect even when their eyes don't see it.
A barn owl can eat up to 1,000 mice each year. They are used by
farmers to control rodent population in the agricultural fields.
An owl may eat an owl of another species. Great horned
owls may be a threat to smaller owls.
For most owl species, females are larger, heavier
and more aggressive than males.
Owls are far-sighted birds, they cannot focus on objects located next to them.
People can help orphaned owlets to survive by giving them a
big toy owl. The owlets believe the toy to be their mother and
seek warmth under her wings.
Some owls do not hoot
at all.
Snowy owls produce
sounds similar to those
made by seabirds, small
pygmy owls whistle,
screech owls produce
whistling toots.
Owls have been found
in fossil records which
were up to 58 million
years old.
The largest owl fossil
was 3 ft tall.
Some owls can eat prey that is larger than them. Sometimes
they may even attack a young wolf, a small deer or a fox.
Owls may live in cacti. Saguaro cacti of the North America’s Sonora Desert
are tall enough to form a forest comfortable enough for elf owls.
Owl superstitions
associate these birds
with bad luck, death and
stealing souls in many
cultures.
These wonderful birds
were painted in caves
by ancient Egyptians
and Maya people.
Owls are silent killers. Owls have special hooks on their wing
feathers that make their flight silent, so they can easily swoop
down on the prey from behind without being noticed.
FIM
All photos belong to their original authors