What are the owl facts?

Do you want to know about a wide range of animal facts? Let's continue with owl facts - facts about one of the most awesome animal with a lot of surprising facts

• Owls have specialized feathers with fringes of varying softness that help muffle sound when they fly. Their broad wings and light bodies also make them nearly silent fliers, which helps them stalk prey more easily.

• For most owl species, females are larger, heavier and more aggressive than males. If the birds are dimorphic, the female is often more richly colored than the male.

• Not all owls hoot, and owls can make a wide range of other sounds, such as screeches, whistles, barks, growls, rattles and hisses. During the nesting season, owl calls can often be heard up to a mile away. Female owls generally have higher voices than their mates.

• Not all owl species are nocturnal. How often an owl is seen during the day depends on the seasonal amount of daylight and darkness, food supplies and habitat. In times of stress or when food is low, owls may hunt at any time, just to get enough food.

• Most owls do not migrate but they can be nomadic in searching for the best food sources. Some species, such as the snowy owl, have regular irruptions.

• A group of owls is called a parliament, wisdom, bazaaar or study. Baby owls are called owlets.

• The tiniest owl in the world is the Elf Owl, which is 5 - 6 inches tall and weighs about 1 ½ ounces. The largest North American owl, in appearance, is the Great Gray Owl, which is up to 32 inches tall.

• The Northern Hawk Owl can detect—primarily by sight—a vole to eat up to a half a mile away.

• In fat years when mice are plentiful, usually monogamous Boreal Owls are apt to be promiscuous. Because easy prey means less work for parents feeding their young, males have been caught mating with up to three females, while females have been seen with at least one beau on the side.

• Barn Owls swallow their prey whole—skin, bones, and all—and they eat up to 1,000 mice each year.

• Northern Saw-whet Owls can travel long distances over large bodies of water. One showed up 70 miles from shore near Montauk, New York.

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