Concept in Definition ABC
Miscellanea / / July 04, 2021
By Florencia Ucha, in Aug. 2012
The owl it's a type of bird that integrates the family known as strigidae, which is characterized by species that are found specially prepared for the nightIn other words, night is the time of day when they are most active.
Very active bird of prey at night characterized by its huge and alert eyes
It is an excellent hunter and it is estimated that there are about 200 varieties of owls scattered throughout the planet, with the exception of Antarctica, Greenland, and islands located in remote areas.
It is also called nocturnal bird of prey because it hunts prey using its beak and razor-sharp claws at night to feed.
It should be noted that its beak is so solid and strong that it is capable of piercing meat.
Rodents are usually their most desired prey, also fish, lizards, small insects, meanwhile, you must watch out for predators such as eagles, hawks, snakes, foxes, raccoons, and house cats.
Differential physical characteristics
Among its salient physical characteristics, the following stand out: it has a plumage of brown coloration, huge round eyes, which in proportion to its body they are extremely large and showy to the eye, nourished feathers on its head that pass at sight like ears.
Their eyes are undoubtedly their main attraction and characteristic, they have a wide pupil in the form of circle, the iris is deep yellow or orange; They are surrounded by a disk of rigid plumage that emulates human eyebrows.
They are arranged in the frontal area but have no mobility, they can only look ahead, of all ways, this bird has a highly developed binocular vision, for example, they are associated with a great intelligence.
In the neck they also have another advantage since being so flexible and being made up of 14 vertebrae they can turn their head about 270 degrees, and in any direction, including behind your shoulders, no other species can achieve this extension of turn.
An unavoidable issue that makes them good hunters is that their flight is mostly silent so their prey may not hear them.
Species
One of the most prominent species within owls is known as Eagle Owl or Bubo bubo.
It stands out from the average in the first place for its important size, it feeds on rodents, hares, rats, pigeons and squirrels among others.
This type of variety is characteristic in the following continents: Europe, Africa and Asia.
Other popular species are the snowy owl or snow owl, well known in the United States, and on the other hand, the pygmy owl or little owl appreciated in South and Central America.
Where it lives and character
And the eared owl that is very present in Europe, Asia, Antilles, Galapagos Islands, Hawaii and South America and that is named this way because it has a tuft of feathers that resemble ears
They inhabit wooded areas, in tropical jungles because they adapt well to humidity and rain; they like to live in trees, logs, bushes, burrows or abandoned houses.
As a consequence of the astonishing aesthetics of which he owns and how simple his upbringing is, it is a constant in falconry, as it is called art to hunt with birds of prey.
It is a rather solitary bird, except in the mating season; they are jealous of their territory and much more when the female is incubating.
They are linked, as we have already said, to the quality of intelligence and so it is that ancient cultures such as the Celtic, considered the owl a symbol of wisdom.
Is belief moved to our day and so it is common for people to buy images of owls as decorations for their home.
Person who lives more at night
But also in language colloquial, everyday, we find a use for the word, since it is used by people to designate that individual who likes or is used to living at night.
Also, with the same sense, the word is usually applied to designate that individual who works a night shift.
And also the word is used to designate a type of bus that circulates in the city during the evening hours and that it does so in some way, replacing the usual service that the company provides during the day.
Themes in Owl