Owls
What do you already know about owls?
There are around two hundred and fifty different species of owl living all over the world. They are found in many different types of habitat and the only continent they don’t live in is Antarctica. The big white fluffy Snowy Owl lives where it is cold and snowy, but even that owl does not live in Antartica.
Owls are birds of prey, which means they hunt other animals for food. Owls come in all different sizes, from big to small. One of the largest owls is the Eagle Owl. Eagles are big and so is this owl. It has a wing span of almost 2 metres. The smallest owl is the Elf Owl, which can be up to 14 cm tall.
Owls have large round faces and their very big eyes face forward, unlike most birds whose eyes are on the sides of their head. Some species of owl have tufts on top of their heads above their eyes. Owls can turn their head 270 degrees, which is about 3/4 of the way round, and can look behind them without moving the rest of their body. They have hooked beaks and sharp claws, which help them catch and kill their prey.
Eagle owls are found living across main land Europe, Asia and Northern Africa.
Elf Owls are found living in parts of America and Mexico.
Owls have excellent eyesight and hearing, which makes them really good at hunting their prey. Most species of owl are nocturnal, but not all! Some are diurnal, which means they are awake and active during the day and many are crepuscular, meaning they are active at dawn and dusk. Depending on when they are awake owls have different eye colours. If they are nocturnal an owls eyes are dark brown or black, if they are diurnal their eyes are yellow and if they are crepuscular their eyes are orange.
Owls like to eat many different small creatures, depending on their species, such as minibeasts, mice, lizards, fish and other birds. They usually swallow their prey whole and then cough up the bones and fur, spitting it out in something called a pellet.
Owls mostly live on their own or in pairs, but some species might live quite close to other owls of the same species. A group of owls is called a parliament.
Both male and female owls look after their young, called owlets. Most species don’t build nests as such, instead preferring to use things such as holes in trees and buildings or even reusing another birds nest. Female owls tend to stay and look after the owlets, while the male goes and catches the prey.
Did you know?
UK Owls
There are five species of owl that live in the UK. The most common is the Tawny Owl and then the Barn Owl. The Little Owl lives in smaller numbers in just England and Wales. The Long Eared Owl and Short Earned Owl migrate to this country in the winter and don’t spend the whole year here. A couple of other species can sometimes also been seen including the Eagle Owl and the Snowy Owl.
Although there are these species of owl living in the UK it is really hard to actually see them. This is mainly because there aren’t huge numbers of any of them. But also they are all nocturnal and so are more active at night when it’s dark and its almost impossible to spot them. If you could see them, so could their food. Owls are very good hunters,so that’s why it is hard to see them.
Barn owls are called Barn Owls because they often roost in barns and other farm buildings.
Not all owls make the ''twit twoo'' sound. If you hear that sound you can hear two owls, not one. The sound is made by a pair of Tawny Owls. The female makes the "twit" sound and the male reply's with the "twoo''
Little Owls grow to around 20cm tall and is much smaller than the other species living in the UK.
The ear tufts on the top of the Long Eared Owl's head aren't actually ears! They are feathers that the owl can stick up when it is scared and wants to appear bigger.
While pairs of Tawny Owls do make a ''twit twoo'' sound, other species make lots of different noises, such as hoots, screeches and even screams!
Most owls stay in the same place, but some species, such as the Short Eared Owl, migrate. This means they travel, in search of food or warmer weather, sometimes travelling great distances.
What we've learnt...
Owls are birds of prey and eat other creatures such as mice.
There are over 200 species of owl. Five species of owl live in the UK.
Owls fly silently. They are good at gliding and their feathers on their wings reduce any noise they might make.
An owls eyes are on the front of their head, unlike most birds. They can turn their heads almost right round though to see around them.
Owls take good care of their young, called owlets.
Test your knowledge...
Owls Quiz
If you click the correct answer the box will turn green. If its the wrong answer it will turn red and then show you what the correct answer was. Make sure you read/listen to the questions carefully!
#1. How far can an owl turn its head?
#2. Do some species of owl live in the UK?
#3. Do owls make their own nests out of twigs?
#4. What species of owl make the ”twit twoo” sound?
#5. What is one of the biggest species of owl called?
Results
I really hope you have enjoyed learning all about Owls, with me Flash!
Question Time...
How many eggs do owls lay at once?
by Teddy
On average owls lay between 4 and 6 eggs at a time but it completely depends on the species, some lay more than that and some lat less. Most interestingly though, rather than laying all their eggs at once, owls lay eggs one at a time with a gap of two to three days in between. The eggs are then incubated (kept warm in their nest) and then owlets will hatch a few days apart too.
Any other questions?
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