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Owl

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Birds

                  How to read a taxoboxOwl
   The rare Northern Spotted OwlStrix occidentalis caurina
   The rare Northern Spotted Owl
   Strix occidentalis caurina
                  Scientific classification

   Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum:  Chordata
   Class:   Aves
   Order:   Strigiformes
            Wagler, 1830

                                  Families

   Strigidae
   Tytonidae
   Ogygoptyngidae (fossil)
   Palaeoglaucidae (fossil)
   Protostrigidae (fossil)
   Sophiornithidae (fossil)

                                  Synonyms

   Strigidae sensu Sibley & Ahlquist

   Owls are a group of birds of prey. Most are solitary and nocturnal,
   with some exceptions (e.g. the Burrowing Owl). They are classified in
   the order Strigiformes, in which there are over 200 extant species.
   Owls mostly hunt small mammals, insects, and other birds, though 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 literary collective
   noun for a group of owls is a parliament.

   The living owls are divided into two families: the typical owls,
   Strigidae, and the barn-owls, Tytonidae.

External appearance

   A horned owl, genus bubo.
   A horned owl, genus bubo.

   Owls have large forward-facing eyes and ears, a hawk-like beak, and
   usually a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye called a
   facial disc. Although owls have binocular vision, their large eyes are
   fixed in their sockets, as with other birds, and they must turn their
   entire head to change views.

   Owls are far-sighted, and are unable to clearly see anything within a
   few inches of their eyes. Their far vision, particularly in low light,
   is incredibly good, and they can turn their head 135 degrees in either
   direction; they can thus look behind their own shoulders. It is not
   correct, however, that they can turn the head so far as to face
   completely backwards.

   Different species of owls make different sounds; the wide range of
   calls aids owl species in finding mates or announcing their presence to
   potential competitors, and ornithologists and birders in locating these
   birds and recognizing species. The facial disc helps to funnel the
   sound of prey to their ears. In many species, these are placed
   asymmetrically, for better directional location (Norberg, 1977).

Behaviour

   Most owls are nocturnal, actively hunting for prey only under cover of
   darkness. Several types of owl, however, are crepuscular, or active
   during the twilight hours of dawn and dusk; one example is the pygmy
   owl (Glaucidium). A few owls are also active during the day; examples
   are the Burrowing Owl (Speotyto cunicularia) and the Short-eared Owl
   (Asio flammeus).
   Comparison of an owl (left) and hawk (right) remex.
   Comparison of an owl (left) and hawk (right) remex.

   Much of the owl's hunting strategy depends on stealth and surprise.
   Owls have at least two adaptations that aid them in achieving stealth.
   First, the dull coloration of an owl's feathers can render them almost
   invisible under certain conditions. Secondly, the owl's remiges, or
   flight feathers, have fluffy trailing edges, muffling the owl's
   wingbeats and allowing its flight to be practically silent. Some
   fish-eating owls, which have no need of silence, lack this adaptation.
   Elf owls also lack the feathers for silent flying.

   Once prey has been captured, the owl's sharp beak and powerful clawed
   feet allow it to tear the food to pieces before eating, even though
   most items are swallowed whole. Scientists studying the diets of owls
   are helped by their habit of regurgitating the indigestible parts of
   their prey (bones, scales, fur, etc.) in the form of pellets. These
   "owl pellets" are often sold by companies to schools to be dissected by
   students as a lesson in biology and ecology, because they are plentiful
   and easy to interpret.

   Owl eggs are white and almost spherical, and range in number from a few
   to a dozen, depending on species. Their nests are crudely built and may
   be in trees, underground burrows, or in barns and caves.

   The smallest owl is the Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi), at as little as
   31 g (1.1 oz) and 13.5 cm (5.3 inches). Some of the pygmy owls are
   scarcely larger. The largest owls are the two of the eagle owls, the
   Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) and Blakiston's Fish Owl (Bubo
   blakistoni), which may reach a size of 76.2 cm (30 in) long, have a
   wingspan of just over 2 m (6.6 ft), and weigh of nearly 4.5 kg (10 lb).

Evolution and systematics

   The systematic placement of owls is disputed. For example, the
   Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy finds that, based on DNA-DNA hybridization,
   owls are more closely related to the nightjars and their allies
   (Caprimulgiformes) than to the diurnal predators in the order
   Falconiformes; consequently, the Caprimulgiformes are placed in the
   Strigidae and the owls in general become a family Strigidae. This is
   not supported by more recent research. In any case, the relationships
   of the Caprimulgiformes, the owls, the falcons and the accipitrid
   raptors are not resolved to satisfaction; currently there is an
   increasing trend to consider each group (with the possible exception of
   the accipitrids) a distinct order.

   There are some 225 extant species of owls, which are subdivided into
   two families; typical owls (Strigidae) and barn-owls (Tytonidae). Some
   entirely extinct families have also been erected based on fossil
   remains; these differ much from modern owls in being less specialized
   or specialized in a very different way (such as the terrestrial
   Sophiornithidae). The Early Paleocene (c.58 mya) genus Ogygoptynx can
   be taken to indicate that owls were present as a distinct lineage
   already at the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs, making them one
   of the oldest known groups of non- Galloanserae landbirds. The supposed
   "Cretaceous owl" Bradycneme is a non-avian dinosaur however, possibly
   Elopteryx.

   During the Paleogene, the Strigiformes radiated into ecological niches
   now mostly filled by other groups of birds. The owls as we know them
   today, on the other hand, evolved their characteristic morphology and
   adaptations during that time too. By the early Neogene, the other
   lineages had been displaced by other bird orders, leaving only
   barn-owls and typical owls. The latter at that time were usually a
   fairly generic type of (probably earless) owl similar to today's North
   American Spotted Owl or the European Tawny Owl; the diversity in size
   and ecology found in typical owls today developed only subsequently.

   Around the Paleogene-Neogene boundary (some 25 mya), barn-owls were the
   dominant group of owls in southern Europe and adjacent Asia at least;
   the distribution of fossil and present-day owl lineages indicates that
   their decline is contemporary with the evolution of the different major
   lineages of typical owls, which for the most part seems to have taken
   place in Eurasia. In the Americas, there was rather an expansion of
   immigrant lineages of ancestral typical owls.

   The supposed fossil herons "Ardea" perplexa (Middle Miocene of Sansan,
   France) and "Ardea" lignitum (Late Pliocene of Germany) were more
   probably owls; the latter was apparently close to the modern genus
   Bubo. Judging from this, the Late Miocene remains from France described
   as "Ardea" aureliensis should also be restudied.(Olson 1985:131, 267)
   The Messelasturidae, some of which were initially believed to be basal
   Strigiformes, are now generally accepted to be diurnal birds of prey
   showing some convergent evolution towards owls.

   For fossil species and paleosubspecies, see the genus and species
   articles.

   Unresolved and basal forms (all fossil)
     * Genus Berruornis (Late Paleocene of France) - basal?
       Sophornithidae?
     * Genus Palaeoglaux (Middle - Late Eocene of WC Europe) - own family
       Palaeoglaucidae or Strigidae?
     * Palaeobyas (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene of Quercy, France) -
       Tytonidae? Sophiornithidae?
     * Palaeotyto (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene of Quercy, France) -
       Tytonidae? Sophiornithidae?
     * Strigiformes gen. et spp. indet. (Early Oligocene of Wyoming, USA:
       Olson 1985:131)
     * Mioglaux (Late Oligocene? - Early Miocene of WC Europe) - includes
       "Bubo" poirreiri
     * Intutula (Early/Middle Miocene of WC Europe) - includes
       "Strix/Ninox" brevis
     * Alasio (Middle Miocene of Vieux-Collonges, France)

Ogygoptyngidae

     * Genus Ogygoptynx (Middle/Late Paleocene of Colorado, USA)

Protostrigidae

     * Genus Eostrix (Early Eocene of WC USA and England - Middle Eocene
       of WC USA)
     * Genus Minerva (Middle - Late Eocene of W USA) - formerly
       Protostrix, includes "Aquila" ferox, "Aquila" lydekkeri, and "Bubo"
       leptosteus

Sophiornithidae

     * Genus Sophiornis
     * Genus Strigogyps - includes Aenigmavis and Ameghinornis

   A Long-eared Owl, Asio otus, in erect pose
   A Long-eared Owl, Asio otus, in erect pose

Typical owls

     * Genus Otus - scops owls; includes Megascops, some 65 species
     * Genus Pyrroglaux - Palau Owl
     * Genus Gymnoglaux - Cuban Screech Owl
     * Genus Ptilopsis - white-faced owls, 2 species
     * Genus Mimizuku - Mindanao Eagle Owl
     * Genus Bubo - horned owls, eagle owls and fish owls; includes
       Nyctea, Ketupa and Scotopelia but possibly polyphyletic, some 25
       species
     * Genus Strix - earless owls, some 15 species
     * Genus Ciccaba - 4 species
     * Genus Lophostrix - Crested Owl
     * Genus Jubula - Maned Owl
     * Genus Pulsatrix - spectacled owls, 3 species
     * Genus Surnia - Northern Hawk Owl
     * Genus Glaucidium - pygmy owls, about 30-35 species
     * Genus Xenoglaux - Long-whiskered Owlet
     * Genus Micrathene - Elf Owl
     * Genus Athene - 2-4 species (depending on whether Speotyto and
       Heteroglaux are included or not)
     * Genus Aegolius - saw-whet owls, 4 species
     * Genus Ninox - Australasian hawk-owls, some 20 species
     * Genus Uroglaux - Papuan Hawk
     * Genus Pseudoscops - Jamaican Owl and possibly Striped Owl
     * Genus Asio - eared owls, 6-7 species
     * Genus Nesasio - Fearful Owl
     * Genus Mascarenotus - Mascarene owls, 3 species; extinct (c. 1850)
     * Genus Sceloglaux - Laughing Owl; extinct ( 1914?)
     * Genus Grallistrix - stilt-owls, 4 species; prehistoric
     * Genus Ornimegalonyx - Caribbean giant owls, 1-2 species;
       prehistoric

   Placement unresolved
   A Barn Owl, Tyto alba
   A Barn Owl, Tyto alba
     * "Otus" wintershofensis - fossil (Early/Middle Miocene of Wintershof
       West, Germany) - may be close to extant genus Ninox (Olson
       1985:131)
     * "Strix" edwardsi - fossil (Late Miocene)
     * "Asio" pygmaeus - fossil (Early Pliocene of Odessa, Ukraine)
     * Ibiza Owl, Strigidae gen. et sp. indet. - prehistoric (Sánchez
       Marco 2004)

Barn-owls

     * Genus Tyto - typical barn-owls, some 15 species and possibly 1
       recently extinct
     * Genus Phodilus - bay-owls, 1-2 extant species and possibly 1
       recently extinct

   Fossil genera
     * Basityto (Early Eocene of Grafenmühle, Germany)
     * Nocturnavis (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene) - includes "Bubo"
       incertus
     * Necrobyas (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene - Late Miocene) - includes
       "Bubo" arvernensis and Paratyto
     * Selenornis (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene) - includes "Asio" henrici
     * Prosybris (Early Oligocene? - Early Miocene)

Myth, lore, and popular culture

   In many parts of the world, owls have been associated with death and
   misfortune, likely due to their nocturnal activity and common
   screeching call. However, owls have also been associated with wisdom
   and prosperity as a result of frequently being companion animals for
   goddesses.

   Henry David Thoreau summarized one perception of owls, when he wrote in
   1854's Walden, "I rejoice that there are owls. Let them do the idiotic
   and maniacal hooting for men. It is a sound admirably suited to swamps
   and twilight woods which no day illustrates, suggesting a vast and
   underdeveloped nature which men have not recognized. They represent the
   stark twilight and unsatisfied thoughts which all [men] have."

Owls in popular culture

Africa


   m

   Ancient Egyptians used a representation of an owl for their hieroglyph
   for the sound m, although they would often draw this hieroglyph with
   its legs broken to keep this bird of prey from coming to life..
   A Burrowing Owl, Athene cunicularia.
   A Burrowing Owl, Athene cunicularia.

The Americas

   In the culture of many Native Americans, (e.g. the Native American Hopi
   nation), taboos often surround owls and they are often associated with
   evil or sorcery. Like eagle feathers, the possession of owl feathers as
   religious objects is regulated by federal law (e.g. The Migratory Bird
   Treaty Act of 1918 and Title 50 Part 22 Code of Federal Regulations).

   The Aztecs and Mayans, along with other natives of Mesoamerica,
   considered the Owl a symbol of death and destruction. In fact, the
   Aztec god of death, Mictlantecuhtli, was often depicted with owls.
   There is a saying in Spanish that still exists today: cuando el
   tecolote canta, el indio se muere ("when the owl cries/sings, the
   Indian dies").

   Other Native American Tribes saw the owl as the carrier of the elders'
   spirits.

Asia

   In Japanese culture, owls are seen as either negative or positive
   symbols depending on species. Owls are seen as divine messengers of the
   gods while Barn or Horned owls are perceived as demonic figures.

   In Indian culture, a white owl is considered a companion of the goddess
   of wealth, and therefore a harbinger of prosperity. The owl has been
   adapted as an emblem to reflect its implications of wisdom (Wise old
   owl) by a revered military institution in India known as the Defence
   Service Staff College. In colloquial use, however, it is commonly used
   to refer to stupidity.

   The demoness Lilith is thought to have been associated with (screech)
   owls as well, by way of the KJV translation of the passage in Isaiah
   34:14. Prior to the rise of Islam, owls were considered bad omens and
   associated with evil spirits in most Middle Eastern pagan traditions.
   In modern times, although such superstitions are less prevalent, owls
   are still popularly considered "evil" because of their fierce, horrific
   appearance.

Europe

   In Greek mythology, the owl, and specifically the Little Owl, was often
   associated with the goddess Athena, a bird goddess who became
   associated with wisdom, the arts, and skills, and as a result, owls
   also became associated with wisdom. They are the unofficial mascot of
   the high-IQ society Mensa.

   The Romans, in addition to having borrowed the Greek associations of
   the owl (see Owl of Minerva), also considered owls to be funerary
   birds, due to their nocturnal activity and often having their nests in
   inaccessible places. As a result, seeing an owl in the daytime was
   considered a bad omen. The vampiric strix of Roman mythology was in
   part based on the owl.

   Likewise, in Romanian culture, the mournful call of an owl is thought
   to predict the death of somebody living in the neighbourhood. Such
   superstitions caused a minor disturbance when an owl showed up at
   Romanian President's residence, Cotroceni Palace.

   In the Welsh Cycles of the Mabinogion, the Owl is considered cursed -
   the first owl was Blodeuedd, a woman born of flowers to be the wife of
   Lleu Llaw Gyffes. Because she fell in love with another man and plotted
   to kill Lleu, Lleu's guardian Gwydion turned her into the first owl,
   saying "You are never to show your face to the light of day, rather you
   shall fear other birds; they will be hostile to you, and it will be
   their nature to maul and molest you wherever they find you. You will
   not lose your name but always be called Blodeuwedd." The addition of
   the w in her name changed her from a woman of flowers to an owl.

   In Finland the owl is paradoxically viewed as both a symbol of wisdom,
   and as a symbol of imbecility (presumably because of it's "dumb"
   stare).
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