"Like other birds, Owls cannot chew their food - small prey items are swallowed whole, while larger prey are torn into smaller pieces before being swallowed. Some Owl species will partially pluck bird and larger mammal prey. Unlike other birds, Owls have no Crop. A crop is a loose sac in the throat that serves as storage for food for later consumption. Since an Owl lacks this, food is passed directly into their digestive system."

A

"Now, a bird's stomach has two parts:The first part is the glandular stomach or proventriculus, which produces enzymes, acids, and mucus that begin the process of digestion.The second part is the muscular stomach, called the Ventriculus, or gizzard. There are no digestive glands in the gizzard, and in birds of prey, it serves as a filter, holding back insoluble items such as bones, fur, teeth and feathers (more about this below)."

A

"Several hours after eating, the indigestible parts (fur, bones, teeth & feathers that are still in the gizzard) are compressed into a pellet the same shape as the gizzard. This pellet travels up from the gizzard back to the  proventriculus. It will remain there for up to 10 hours before being regurgitated. Because the stored pellet partially blocks the Owl's digestive system, new prey cannot be swallowed until the pellet is ejected. Regurgitation often signifies that an Owl is ready to eat again. When the Owl eats more than one prey item within several hours, the various remains are consolidated into one pellet."

A

 "When an Owl is about to produce a pellet, it will take on a pained expression - the eyes are closed, the facial disc narrow, and the bird will be reluctant to fly. At the moment of expulsion, the neck is stretched up and forward, the beak is opened, and the pellet simply drops out without any retching or spitting movements."

A

"Of all an owl's features, perhaps the most striking is its eyes. Large and forward facing, they may account for one to five percent of the owl's body weight, depending on species. The forward facing aspect of the eyes that give an owl its "wise" appearance, also give it a wide range of "binocular" vision (seeing an object with both eyes at the same time). This means the owl can see objects in 3 dimensions (height, width, and depth), and can judge distances in a similar way to humans. 

B

An owl's eyes are large in order to improve their efficiency, especially under low light conditions. In fact, the eyes are so well developed, that they are not eye balls as such, but elongated tubes. They are held in place by bony structures in the skull called Sclerotic rings. For this reason, an owl cannot "roll" or move its eyes - that is, it can only look straight ahead!

B

"Since owls have extraordinary night vision, it is often thought that they are blind in strong light. This is not true, because their pupils have a wide range of adjustment, allowing the right amount of light to strike the retina. Some species of owls can actually see better than humans in bright light."

B

"To protect their eyes, owls are equipped with 3 eyelids. They have a normal upper and lower eyelid, the upper closing when the owl blinks, and the lower closing up when the owl is asleep. The third eyelid is called a nictitating membrane, and is a thin layer of tissue that closes diagonally across the eye, from the inside to the outside. This cleans and protects the surface of the eye."

B

An Owl's range of audible sounds is not unlike that of humans, but an Owl's hearing is much more acute at certain frequencies enabling it to hear even the slightest movement of their prey in leaves or undergrowth.The shape of the ear opening (known as the aperture) depends on the species of Owl - in some species, the opening has a valve, called an operculum covering it . The opening varies from a small, round aperture to an oblong slit with a large operculum

F

Once the Owl has determined the direction of its next victim, it will fly toward it, keeping its head in line with the direction of the last sound the prey made. If the prey moves, the Owl is able to make corrections mid flight. When about 60 cm from the prey, the Owl will bring its feet forward and spread its talons in an oval pattern, and, just before striking, will thrust its legs out in front of its face and often close its eyes before the kill.

F

The most unique adaptation of Owl feathers is the comb-like or fimbriate (fringe-like) leading edge of the primary wing feathers referred to as "flutings" or "fimbriae". With a normal bird in flight, air rushes over the surface of the wing, creating turbulence, which makes a gushing noise. With an Owl's wing, the comb-like feather edge breaks down the turbulence into little groups called micro-turbulences. This effectively muffles the sound of the air rushing over the wing surface and allows the Owl to fly silently.

G

Flight feather barbs have tiny barbules that lock the barbs together, making the feather into a single continuous surface. These barbules often become unhooked during harsh flying conditions or collisions. A bird will use its beak to realign the unhooked barbs and restore the feather to peak condition.There is small gland called the uropygial, located at the base of the tail, that produces a thin oily liquid. This gland is stimulated by the beak, which is then used to transfer the liquid to the feathers to provide them with a protective coating.

G

All owls have a short, curved, downward-facing beak that is hooked at the end. It is designed specifically for gripping and tearing prey. The crushing power of the bill is usually used to kill prey once captured.The bill is curved downwards in order to keep the owl's field of vision clear. The nostrils are positioned towards the base of the beak, in a region called the cere. Most Owls have a very poor sense of smell.

H

Some species of owls are able to reduce their body temperature in hot weather by "panting" through partially opened bills. This is called "gular fluttering" - gular having to do with the throat area. Warm air is exchanged ambient air which is drawn into the highly vascular throat where the blood vessels are constricted, thus enabling heat dispersion.

H

Owl's talons are very powerful, as they are used to capture prey. The bony structures in an owl's feet are shorter and stronger than the equivalent bones in other birds. This is in order to withstand the force of an impact with prey. When attacking prey, the talons are spread out wide to increase the chance of a successful strike.The actual length, thickness and colour of the talons varies greatly with owl species, but all have very sharp claws. Colour may vary from near-black to pale grey or ivory.

I

As with other birds of prey, owls have the locking, ratchet-like mechanism in their foot which keeps the toes locked around a perch or prey without the need for the muscles to remain contracted. In some owl species, it is thought that the feet help to regulate body temperature. Excess body heat is radiated through the soles of the feet, which are supplied with extra blood vessels.

I

As with other birds of prey, owls have the locking, ratchet-like mechanism in their foot which keeps the toes locked around a perch or prey without the need for the muscles to remain contracted. In some owl species, it is thought that the feet help to regulate body temperature. Excess body heat is radiated through the soles of the feet, which are supplied with extra blood vessels.

I

"any of an order (Strigiformes) of birds of prey with large head and eyes, short hooked bill, strong talons, and more or less nocturnal habits [Old English Ule]"

C

"A young or small owl"

D

"Some people assume that owls only live in trees. However, they take any opportunity that they can to find shelter and to stake a claim on an environment out there. For example they can live in tree trunks and in the tops of barns. Others live in shrubs and bushes where you would never think to look for them. These birds don’t have to be high off the ground as most people think."

M

"You will notice that they also feature a very sharp looking beak that turns downward. Their enormous eyes do allow them to have amazing vision. They have what we call binocular vision."

K

"They aren’t able to chew food so they use their beaks to swallow it. With larger prey they will tear it up into smaller pieces that they swallow."

K

"The stomach is in two parts and that is how they are able to digest food. What they can’t digest is then formed into pellets that they have to regurgitate from the body. This process doesn’t hurt them for the balls to come back up. The size of the pellets depends on the species of owl as well as how much they have eaten."

K

"Another reason why people think the owl is comical is due to their head bobbing activities. However, research shows that there is a purpose behind it.They have a three dimensional conception of their environment so this helps them to put it all into perspective."

K

"The wings of an owl are very interesting to explore. They have five different types of feathers which allow them to be protected, to feel their surroundings, and to fly without making a sound."

K

"Owls have exceptional vision that make it very easy to find prey. They are able to swoop down on it quickly and the element of surprise is on their side."

L

"The diet for owls depends on the location where they live. They tend to consume lots of different types of invertebrates. This includes spiders, insects, snails, crabs, and earthworms. Rodents including rats and mice are common food sources for the owl. Rabbits also tend to be plentiful in many of the areas where owls live."

L

They swallow food whole instead of chewing it up. They don’t have a crop as other birds do though that stores food for later one. Instead, it all goes immediately to be digested. Owls regurgitate pellets after they have been eating. In these pallets are a variety of items that their bodies can’t digest.It takes about 10 hours after eating for such pellets to form and to be regurgitated by the owl. The pellets have to be removed from the body before they are able to consume more prey.

L

"That misconception often comes from the fact that they perch up high to find their prey. However, they move from their nesting location to find their prey instead of using that location for their hunting.They never create their own nests from scratch."

M

For the most part owls are very isolated creatures. That all changes as spring approaches though because that is when mating can occur. This is when they males and females will find each other so that they can create young.

N

"During the mating season, the hooting calls of the owl will increase. The males use it to find out where the females are in proximity to them. The calling is the most common part of the mating ritual that we have observed. The males will generally remain in their same location and their calls can bring the females to them. They will often call to her after she arrives and even hunt for food to bring back to her. All of this is done to get her to consent to the mating process."

N

"Each male and each female will only mate with one other per season. With some species of owls, they will have the same mate for life. Each year they will find each other again for the purpose of mating and then go their separate ways again."
 

N

"Owls don’t create their own nests, but instead find abandoned nests from other birds that they can use for a place to lay their eggs. The incubation is about 30 days before the eggs will begin to hatch.As the young begin to hatch, the female will use her beak to help them out. The eggs will hatch at intervals that can be several days apart. The male and the female will take turns watching the eggs, tending the nest, and bringing food back to the young. "

N

"All of the various all species are very protective of their young. In fact, that is when they will become very aggressive and fight off other animals and even attack humans. They do all they can to help their young be able to grow and eventually leave the nest to start a life on their own.They will be ready to mate when they are about one year of age. There are some larger species though that don’t mate until they are two or three years of age."

N

"An Owl's daily activity begins with preening, stretching, yawning and combing its head with its claws. The plumage is often ruffled up, and claws and toes are cleaned by nibbling with the beak. The Owl will then leave its roost, sometimes giving a call (especially in breeding season). Owls have a very expressive body language. Many species will bob and weave their head, as if curious about something - this is in fact to further improve their three-dimensional concept of what they are viewing."

E

Owl chicks 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. Because eggs are laid over a period of several days, the hatching is also staggered. This means that there is always a gradation in the size of the chicks in the nest, the larger and more active individuals invariably getting more food from the parents than their smaller, weaker siblings. As a result, it is rare for all the chicks that hatch from a clutch to survive, except of course when food is plentiful.

J

"Upon hatching, owl chicks are blind and have a thin coat of natal down. In 1-2 weeks, a heavier second coat of down appears, called the mesoptile. As early as 3-4 weeks, some species' chicks may leave the nest and clamber about. In tree nesting species, these chicks are called Branchers. "

J

"The next stage of development will be fledging, or learning to fly. In Great Horned Owls, this is 9-10 weeks after hatching, Barn Owls take 7-8 weeks and Screech Owls 4-5 weeks. Fledglings are usually cared for by the parents for a short time before leaving to fend for themselves. This time can vary from a few weeks to a few months, depending on the owl species. "

J

"Most owls reach sexual maturity and are ready to reproduce about a year after they hatch. Some larger species, however, may not begin breeding until their second or third year."

J