Owls are nocturnal birds of prey found worldwide except Antarctica. They hunt small mammals, insects, and other birds using large forward-facing eyes and ear holes adapted for sharp hearing. Owls belong to two families and live solitary lives, though a group is called a parliament.

1. The Wonderful World of Owls

2. Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 extant bird of prey species.
Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions (e.g. the Northern Hawk Owl). Owls hunt mostly small
mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish. They are found in all
regions of the Earth except Antarctica, most of Greenland and some remote islands. Though owls are typically
solitary, the word for a group of owls is a parliament. Living owls are divided into two families: the typical
owls, Strigidae; and the barn-owls, Tytonidae.
• Barn owl

3. Great horned owl

4. Barn Owl

5. Great Horned Owl

6. Owls have large forward-facing eyes and ear-holes; a hawk-like beak; a flat face; and
usually a conspicuous circle of feathers, a facial disc, around each eye. The feathers
making up this disc can be adjusted in order to sharply focus sounds that come from
different distances to the owls ear cavities.