The Beautiful, Mystical Owls

Beautiful OWL

The owl is the only bird with human-like, forward facing eyes.
An owl has 14 vertebrae in its neck (we have 7) and can turn its head 270 degrees!
The collective noun for a group of owls is a parliament.
Owls have very keen far-sighted vision, but cannot see clearly a few inches in front of them. They have filoplumes, small, hair-like feathers on their beak and feet they use as “feelers”.
The leading edge on their flight feathers called “flutings” or “fimbriae” are serrated or fringe-like, which muffles the sound of air rushing over them, giving owl’s silent flight.
Owls mate for life.
There are over 200 species of owl, ranging from the Elf Owl that stands just over 5 inches tall and the Eagle Eurasian Owl with a wingspan of over 6 feet.
In many cultures the owl is considered a powerful spirit guide.

During courtship, males display by swaying back and forth and raising their wings while sliding along a branch.
Their eggs are white and almost perfectly round.
Parents care for their young for at least four months, much longer than most other owls.
At birth they covered in white, fluffy down and their eyes are closed for a week.
When baby owls first leave the nest, they crawl out using their beak and talons to sit on branches. They are called “branchers” and stay there for 35-40 days.
Their eyes are dark brown. Most owls have yellow eyes.
They live in old forests near marshes and ponds.
They have white barring on their chests and vertical barring on their bellies, hence their name.
They are the most vocal of all owls.

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