Owl info.

1. Owls
Matt Gutt
http://www.metrolic.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/1501night_owl_1.jpg

2. http://www.interfaith.org/forum/ethical-atheist-vs-believer-in-
10289-13.html
Background Information
 History
 Owls have been found in cave paintings from 20,000 years ago as
well as in hieroglyphics- (Horus owl) (Animals, 2011).
 Many owls are now extinct. This is due to habitat destruction.
 Laughing Owl-New Zealand was identified in 1840 and extinct in
1845-virus?
 Madagascar Red Owl identified in 1878 extinct in 1993. Closely
resembles Barn Owl. Sub-species, Cormoro Scoops Owl is also
extinct. Fossils of this exist.
 Rodriquez Little Owl has little info known
 Mauritian Barn Owl-extinct in early 1700’s(same as Newton’s
Barn Owl) (Owlworlds,2011).
 Owl fossils have been found up to 58 million years ago
 Orinmegalonyx oteroi is the largest at 3 feet tall (birding, 2011).
http://hawkebackpacking.com/egypt_2009_cairo_memphis.html

3. http://animaladay.blogspot.com/2011/06/cu
n-giant-owl.html
Extinct Laughing
Owl
http://terranature.org/owlLaughing.htm

4. Background Information
 # of Species
 205(222 to 242 on worldofowls.com) but
biologists debate this fact very often
 These owls are divided up into two basic
groups-Barn Owls and True/Typical Owls
(Animals, 2011).

5. General Information
 People have put out fake owls to scare off other birds
 Symbol of wisdom
 Almost always live alone (Owlworlds, 2011)
 Owls can be found on every continent except Antarctica
 Owls have an up-right posture
 Owls have three eyelids
 Females are larger, more aggressive, and heavier
 A group of owls is known as a parliament and baby owls are
known as owlets (Birding,2011).

6. Anatomy
 Large head
 Big eyes
 Sharp beak
 Field vision of 110 degrees
 Can turn heads around and upside down
 Three eyelids
 Blinking
 Sleeping
 Cleaning
 Can not chew food
 Two part stomach
 What is not digested is turned into pellets

7. Anatomy
 Sharp talons (Owlworlds, 2011)
 Special flight feathers for silent
flying
 Ear tufts are for display
 Two forward facing toes and two
backward (Animals, 2011)
 14 vertebrae
 hollow bones
 skeleton only takes up 7-9% of (World of owls, 2011)
body weight (Owlpages, 2011)

8. http://www.finnature.fi/owls.html
Behavior
 Eye color
 Dark-Mostly nocturnal
 Orange-Mostly active at Dawn and Dusk
 Yellow-Active most in the day (World of owls, 2011)
 Communication
 Many sounds-clasping their wings, biting their beaks, and
hooting
 Females have a higher pitch
 For mating
 Screech owl male calls out and female answers
(Britannica, 2011)

9. Habitat
 Mostly wooded forest
 Some rain forest
 Grass lands and deserts where
some species like the elf owl or
even the snowy owl will nest
underground in burrows.
 Will nest or sit in locations like
bushes, holes in
trees, rocks, barns, etc.
 Owls are very adaptable
although destruction of habitat
will limit them (Owlworlds, 2011).
http://www.owlpages.com/image.php?image=articles-Owl+Physiology-Reproduction-8

10. Breeding
 The breeding season of most owls like other wildlife starts in the
spring. Male owls will display acts, calls/duets, and courtship
flights to the female owls in hopes to attract them and become
their mate in their nesting spot. Some owls will even offer food to
the female. Owls become very aggressive to other owls or birds
while claiming their territory during this season. Owls are
opportunistic nesters, meaning that they don’t make their
nests, but instead find pre-made nests or other sites such as
holes in the trees or in buildings. (Owl Pages,2011)

11. Breeding Continued
 Owls will lay anywhere from 1-13 eggs per breeding season, but
normally around 4 eggs for most owls. The chicks will hatch using
their egg tooth which is on the beak and will fall off in 1-2 weeks
after the chicks have hatched. Like most birds, the chicks will have
to compete to survive along side of their siblings for the food. Most
chicks don’t survive because normally the small weaker ones will
die off unless there is enough food being brought in. Males are
normally the hunters that will bring the food which averages around
ten times a day. The owls will continue this process while going
through the stages of learning to eat, getting their coats of
feathers, and to flying/fledging until they reach full maturity in about
a year (Owl pages, 2011).

12. http://naturemappingfoundation.org/natmap/facts/barn_
wl_712.html
Food
 Hunting- Specialized sight and hearing are the dependents owls
have on spotting and retrieving their prey. Their ear tufts are the
critical adaptions to help detect vibrations and movement from
where they roost. Being very different from most birds, their
larger eyes makes it easier for them to see in the dark seeing
that most owls are nocturnal. Also their swift and silent feathers
minimizes the possibility of being detected from other animals so
that way they can accomplish the hunt. They will capture their
prey with the sharp talons on their feet and grip them tightly.
 Prey- moles, voles, deer mice, squirrels, frogs, bats, other
birds, grasshoppers, small insects, prairie dogs, and fish
(Aviary, 2011).

13. Common Local Species
 Barn owl-Tyto
alba
 Eastern Screech
owl-Otus asio
 Northern Saw-
whet owl-Aegolius
acadicus
 Long-eared owl-
Asio otus
( Enature, 2011)

14. Local Species Cont..
 Short-eared owl--Asio
flammeus
 Great Horned owl-Bubo
virginianus
 Snowy owl-Nyctea scandiaca
 Barred owl-Strix varia
(Enature, 2011)

15. Predators
 Top of the food chain
 Fox
 Snakes-tropical rainforests
 Wild Cats( even household cats)
 Raccoons
 Squirrels
 Other owls depending on size difference
 How they survive
 Use talons to fight off predators
 Camouflage
 Beaks
 Sharp
 Predators mostly go after wounded owls versus healthy ones
(Owlworlds, 2011).

16. Conclusion
 Owls have been around for thousands of years and can be
found on every continent except for Antarctica, however
many species of these amazing creatures have gone extinct
from habitat destruction and virus’. The anatomy of owls
allows them to be superior hunters and fly with silence. Local
species include the Short-Eared Owl, Great Horned
Owl, Snowy Owl, and the Barred Owl. These owls, along
with all the other are carnivorous predators that mainly hunt
at night. I hope you enjoyed my presentation on one of the
most adapted predators of life.

17. Work Cited
 "20 Fun Facts About Owls - Owl Trivia." Birding and Wild Birds. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. <
http://birding.about.com/od/birdprofiles/a/20-Fun-Facts-About-Owls.htm>.
 “Owls.”ENature. Web. 06 Oct. 2011. <
http://enature.com/fieldguides/view_default.asp?curGroupID=1&shapeID=960>.
 "Kinds of Owls." Owls - Pictures, Information, Sounds. The Aviary at Owls.com - Species Owls Great Horned Barn. Web.
03 Oct. 2011. <http://aviary.owls.com/owls.html>.
 "Owl (bird) :: Reproduction and Development -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Encyclopedia - Britannica Online
Encyclopedia. Web. 06 Oct. 2011. <
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/436310/owl/49116/Reproduction-and-development>.
 Owl Facts and Information. BioExpedition Publishing. Web. 06 Oct. 2011. <http://www.owlworlds.com>.
 "Owl Facts - Facts About Owls." Animals Wildlife - Animal Facts, Animal Pictures, Habitat Facts, Evolution and Zoology.
Web. 03 Oct. 2011. <http://animals.about.com/od/owls/a/owl-facts.htm>.
 The Owl Pages - About Owls - Photos, Calls, Books, Art, Mythology and More. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. <
http://www.owlpages.com/>.
 “What Are Owl.” The World of Owls. Web. 02 Nov. 2011. http://www.worldofowls.com/whatareowls.htm.