Extraordinary Owls

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Barn Owl adult
When I first became a bird-watcher, I was drawn to owls because of their unique appearance and nocturnal "lifestyle".  Later, I was fortunate to be teaching in a Seattle Park that was home to several pairs of Barn Owls, and began to study them in person and from experts. One of the things I was fascinated to learn is that every one of their facial and body features work together to make them one of the most incredible hunters in the bird world.  

Like other nocturnal animals, owl eyes have more rods than ours, so they can see clearly in very little light.  To understand how large their eyes are in relation to their skull, clench your fist.  That’s how big your eyes would be if you were an owl!  Also, their eyes are shaped like long ovals rather than being round, and are fixed in the socket so they can’t rotate to look up, down, and sideways like ours can.  

Great Horned Owl eyes are among the largest of terrestrial vertebrates



However, they have an amazing adaptation to this, with 14 neck vertebrate (twice as many as us), and can therefore turn their head 270 degrees.  Because of this, some people think that owls can turn their head all the way around like a character from The Exorcist.  That’s not true, but just imagine for a moment if you could keep your body facing forward while looking all the way over your shoulder to see what is directly behind you- pretty cool, huh.


Also, some people think that owls have a quizzical look because they tilt their head from side to side as they look around them.  That’s not true either, but leads me to another amazing feature: their ears, which are also large and located asymmetrically on the sides of their skull.  One is set high and one low, so when owls appear to look quizzically, they’re just tilting their head to hear more accurately.  The super-sensitivity of their ears, combined with their ability to flex their facial feathers to funnel even the slightest sound there, has led to some incredible discoveries, including that Barn Owls can quickly find prey while blindfolded in a pitch-dark place, using only their ears.

A Barn Owl feather's comb-like edge
That reminds me of another amazing adaptation: the leading edges of their wing feathers are like a soft fringe or fine-tooth comb, which gives owls the ability to fly slowly and silently.  They can fly at low speeds that would cause most birds to fall out of the sky, and with the sound of the wind over their wings completely muted.   I’ve been startled in the daytime by Barn Owls on multiple occasions, including twice here in Arivaca, when they flew right over my head, yet all I saw was their shadow passing.  


Barn Owl talons



Pity the poor prey animal spotted by an owl’s super-vision and hearing, then snuck up on and swooped down on without a sound.  And grabbed by talons that won’t let them slip away.   Most raptors have four talons on each foot with only one that faces backwards, but owls can flex one of their talons to face the back or front.  This, plus the rough, knobby surface on the bottom of their toes, ensures a strong grip that custom fits to the size and shape of their prey.  Yowza.

Barn Owl carrying off a rodent








Because many organizations and individuals across the world have built nest boxes for Barn Owls, and then equipped them with video cameras, you can watch the whole nesting process from egg clutch to nestling owlets to first flights.  It's a fascinating glimpse into the lives of these extraordinary birds.  Check out the Barn Owl Trust list of nest-cams at this link

The call of the Northern Saw-whet Owl sounds just like the toot of a toy truck!


Last but not least, not all owls make a hooting sound.  The most classic hoot is made by the Great Horned Owl, but other species make calls that sound like a toy truck horn, a barking dog, or a bloodcurdling scream (my favorite).   

There are 11 owl species that have been seen during all or part of the year in the areas around Arivaca and in Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge.  The next time you see or hear one, remember to be happy that you’re not its favorite prey!


Photo credits: 
Barn Owl adult: by Peter Trimming, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license
Great Horned Owl eye: by Tony Hisgett, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license
Barn Owl feather: by Melanie Lindenthal, Barn Owl Trust
Barn Owl talons: by Greg Hume, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Barn Owl carrying off a rodent: by Clayton Hansen
Northern Saw-whet Owl juveniles: by Kathy & Sam, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

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