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More About Owls ...
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An owl is any of about 174 species of solitary nocturnal birds of prey in the order Strigiformes. Owls mostly hunt small mammals, insects, and other birds.
Owls have large forward-facing eyes and ears, a hawk-like beak, and a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye called the facial disk. Although owls have binocular vision, their large eyes are fixed in their sockets, and they must turn their entire heads to change views.
Owls are far-sighted, and are unable to clearly see anything within a few inches of their eyes. However, their vision, particularly in low light, is excellent.
Many owls can also hunt by sound in total darkness. The facial disc helps to funnel the sound of rodents to their ears, which are placed asymmetrically to allow better directional location.
Despite their appearance, owls are more closely related to whippoorwills and other nightjars or Caprimulgiformes than to hawks and other diurnal predators (see Falconiformes). Some taxonomists place the nightjars in the same order as owls, as in the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy.
Owls' powerful clawed feet and sharp beak let them tear their prey to pieces before eating. Their muffled wings and dull feathers allow them to fly almost silently and unseen. Scientists studying the diets of owls are helped by its habit of disgorging the indigestible parts of their diet, bones, scales, and fur in pellet form. 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 in some owls. Their nests are crudely built and may be in trees, underground burrows or barns and caves.
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Taxonmony
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Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Strigiformes
Family: Strigidae
Tytonidae
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Source: Wikipedia Read more about Owls
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INFO LINKS
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Spotted Owl
Bird Friends Of Lake Murray And San Diego County
Spotted Owl pictures, description, and more Read More
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Barn Owl
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Extensive species account including range map, call details, 'cool facts', etc. Read More
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Barred Owl
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Extensive species account including range map, call details, 'cool facts', etc. Read More
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Boreal Owl
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Extensive species account including range map, call details, 'cool facts', etc. Read More
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Burrowing Owl
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Extensive species account including range map, call details, 'cool facts', etc. Read More
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Eastern Screech-Owl
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Extensive species account including range map, call details, 'cool facts', etc. Read More
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Flammulated Owl
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Extensive species account including range map, call details, 'cool facts', etc. Read More
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Great Gray Owl
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Extensive species account including range map, call details, 'cool facts', etc. Read More
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Great Horned Owl
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Extensive species account including range map, call details, 'cool facts', etc. Read More
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Long-eared Owl
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Extensive species account including range map, call details, 'cool facts', etc. Read More
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Northern Hawk Owl
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Extensive species account including range map, call details, 'cool facts', etc. Read More
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Northern Saw-whet Owl
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Extensive species account including range map, call details, 'cool facts', etc. Read More
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Short-eared Owl
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Extensive species account including range map, call details, 'cool facts', etc. Read More
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Snowy Owl
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Extensive species account including range map, call details, 'cool facts', etc. Read More
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Spotted Owl
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Extensive species account including range map, call details, 'cool facts', etc. Read More
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Western Screech-Owl
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Extensive species account including range map, call details, 'cool facts', etc. Read More
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Long-Eared Owl
Blue Planet Biomes
Brief description of Long-Eared Owl with additional references Read More
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Snowy Owl
Blue Planet Biomes
Brief description of Snowy Owl with additional references Read More
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Great Horned Owl
Animals Of The Rainforest
Brief description, taxonomic information, pictures, and links Read More
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Malaysian Fish-Owl
Animals Of The Rainforest
Brief description, taxonomic information, pictures, and links Read More
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Northern Spotted Owl
Animals Of The Rainforest
Brief description, taxonomic information, pictures, and links Read More
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Spectacled Owl
Animals Of The Rainforest
Brief description, taxonomic information, pictures, and links Read More
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Barn Owl
Desert USA
Barn Owl: Brief description and pictures Read More
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Great horned owl
Desert USA
Great horned owl: Brief description and pictures Read More
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Great Horned Owl
Canadian Wildlife Service
Categorized and detailed information on habitat, diet, range, etc. Read More
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Snowy Owl
Canadian Wildlife Service
Categorized and detailed information on habitat, diet, range, etc. Read More
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Barn Owl
Birds in Suriname
Brief description, pictures, and distribution map for Surinam Read More
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Spectacled Owl
Birds in Suriname
Brief description, pictures, and distribution map for Surinam Read More
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Tropical Screech-Owl
Birds in Suriname
Brief description, pictures, and distribution map for Surinam Read More
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Little Owl
web.edunet4u.net/~nature/ (Korean)
Brief description and picture Read More
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Owl
web.edunet4u.net/~nature/ (Korean)
Brief description and picture Read More
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Scops Owl
web.edunet4u.net/~nature/ (Korean)
Brief description and picture Read More
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Brown Hawk Owl
web.edunet4u.net/~nature/ (Korean)
Brief description and picture Read More
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Short-Eared Owl
web.edunet4u.net/~nature/ (Korean)
Brief description and picture Read More
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Eagle Owl
web.edunet4u.net/~nature/ (Korean)
Brief description and picture Read More
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Korean Wood Owl
web.edunet4u.net/~nature/ (Korean)
Brief description and picture Read More
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