It’s a bird…It’s a plane…no, actually it’s a bird. More specifically, the wisest bird of them all, THE OWL! Want to know more about these awesome predators? Here are 25 Awesome Owl Facts You’ll Want To Know!
There are 216 species of owls around the world.
http://aviary.owls.com Owls can be found in almost every continent except for Antarctica. The greatest population of owls can be found in Asia. Within the United States and Canada, there are only around 19 species.
Owls have tubular eyes.
http://www.owlpages.com Owl eyes are not circular like most animals; they have tubes that go all the way to the back of the skull, giving them great far sighted vision. They can spot prey from yards away. The only downside is their eyes cannot move at all, they have to turn their heads to see.
An owl has 3 eyelids.
http://www.owlpages.com Each eyelid has its own function; the first is for blinking, the second is for sleeping, and the third one is for keeping the eye clean and healthy.
Owls cannot turn their heads a full 360 degrees.
http://www.owlpages.com The bones, blood vessels, and supporting vascular (vein) system have all adapted so that owls are able to turn their heads 135 degrees in whichever direction they need to.
Owls have flat faces.
http://www.owlpages.com A flat surface allows sound to be heard better, up to ten times better for owls. This allows them to hear things that even humans can’t hear!
Photos: 25. Krzych.w(K.P.Wiśniewski), 1Puchacz obronna poza, CC BY-SA 4.0, 24. www.publicdomainpictures.net (public domain), 23. Greg Clarke via flickr, CC BY 2.0, 22. USFS Region 5 via flickr, CC BY 2.0, 21. pixabay.com (public domain), 20. William Warby via flickr, CC BY 2.0, 19. USFWS Mountain-Prairie via flickr, CC BY 2.0, 18. Kristina Servant, Barn Owl flying, CC BY 2.0, 17. pixabay (public domain), 16. Andrew Mercer (www.baldwhiteguy.co.nz), Barking Owl eats prey, CC BY-SA 3.0, 15. Max Pixel (public domain), 14. Caleb Putnam via flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, 13. Kevin Cole from Pacific Coast, USA, Female Burrowing Owl feeding owlet (Athene cunicularia), CC BY 2.0, 12. Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, 2286 barn owl munsel odfw (15034193405), CC BY-SA 2.0, 11. Cheryl Reynolds, Burrowing Owl Family in Antioch, CC BY-SA 3.0, 10. MyAngelG via flickr, CC BY 2.0, 9. Richerman, Short-eared owl chick, CC BY-SA 3.0, 8. lensnmatter via flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, 7. travelwayoflife, Athene cunicularia 20110524 02, CC BY-SA 2.0, 6. nature80020 via flickr, CC BY 2.0, 5. wikimedia commons (public domain), 4. belgianchocolate via flickr, CC BY 2.0, 3. Athene_noctua_(portrait).jpg: Trebol-a derivative work:Stemonitis (talk), Athene noctua (cropped), CC BY-SA 3.0, 2. No machine-readable author provided. Emery~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims)., GreatHornedOwl-Wiki, CC BY-SA 3.0, 1. www.pixnio.com (public domain)
