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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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Owl
The World Owl Trust
Organization that is concerned with protecting endangered owls all over the world. Read More
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Owl
The Living Schoolbook - The Cyberzoo project
Burrowing Owl Read More
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Owl
The Living Schoolbook - The Cyberzoo project
Great Horned Owl Read More
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Owl
The Living Schoolbook - The Cyberzoo project
Snowy Owl Read More
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Barred Owl
Pelotes Island Nature Preserve
Barred Owl Read More
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Owl
Colorado Fourteeners
Great Horned Owl Read More
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Barn Owl
Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
USGS data sheet on Barn Owl, including photographs, maps, taxonomy, identification tips, and life history information. Read More
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Barred Owl
Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
USGS data sheet on Barred Owl, including photographs, maps, taxonomy, identification tips, and life history information. Read More
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Boreal Owl
Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
USGS data sheet on Boreal Owl, including photographs, maps, taxonomy, identification tips, and life history information. Read More
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Burrowing Owl
Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
USGS data sheet on Burrowing Owl, including photographs, maps, taxonomy, identification tips, and life history information. Read More
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Eastern Screech-Owl
Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
USGS data sheet on Eastern Screech-Owl, including photographs, maps, taxonomy, identification tips, and life history information. Read More
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Elf Owl
Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
USGS data sheet on Elf Owl, including photographs, maps, taxonomy, identification tips, and life history information. Read More
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Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl
Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
USGS data sheet on Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, including photographs, maps, taxonomy, identification tips, and life history information. Read More
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Flammulated Owl
Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
USGS data sheet on Flammulated Owl, including photographs, maps, taxonomy, identification tips, and life history information. Read More
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Great Gray Owl
Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
USGS data sheet on Great Gray Owl, including photographs, maps, taxonomy, identification tips, and life history information. Read More
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Great Horned Owl
Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
USGS data sheet on Great Horned Owl, including photographs, maps, taxonomy, identification tips, and life history information. Read More
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Long-eared Owl
Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
USGS data sheet on Long-eared Owl, including photographs, maps, taxonomy, identification tips, and life history information. Read More
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Northern Hawk Owl
Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
USGS data sheet on Northern Hawk Owl, including photographs, maps, taxonomy, identification tips, and life history information. Read More
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Northern Pygmy-Owl
Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
USGS data sheet on Northern Pygmy-Owl, including photographs, maps, taxonomy, identification tips, and life history information. Read More
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Northern Saw-whet Owl
Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
USGS data sheet on Northern Saw-whet Owl, including photographs, maps, taxonomy, identification tips, and life history information. Read More
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Short-eared Owl
Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
USGS data sheet on Short-eared Owl, including photographs, maps, taxonomy, identification tips, and life history information. Read More
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Snowy Owl
Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
USGS data sheet on Snowy Owl, including photographs, maps, taxonomy, identification tips, and life history information. Read More
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Spotted Owl
Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
USGS data sheet on Spotted Owl, including photographs, maps, taxonomy, identification tips, and life history information. Read More
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Western Screech-Owl
Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
USGS data sheet on Western Screech-Owl, including photographs, maps, taxonomy, identification tips, and life history information. Read More
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Whiskered Screech-Owl
Gough, G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
USGS data sheet on Whiskered Screech-Owl, including photographs, maps, taxonomy, identification tips, and life history information. Read More
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Great Horned Owl
Honolulu Zoo
Great Horned Owl Read More
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Verreaux's Eagle-Owl
Kenya Birds
About Verreaux's Eagle-Owl Read More
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Barn owl
SafariCamLive.com - African Wildlife to the World
Barn owls Read More
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Giant Eagle owl
SafariCamLive.com - African Wildlife to the World
Giant Eagle owls Read More
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Grass owl
SafariCamLive.com - African Wildlife to the World
Grass owls Read More
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Marsh owl
SafariCamLive.com - African Wildlife to the World
Marsh owls Read More
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Scops owl
SafariCamLive.com - African Wildlife to the World
Scops owls Read More
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Whitefaced owl
SafariCamLive.com - African Wildlife to the World
Whitefaced owls Read More
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Barn Owl
The Longpoint schoolhouse
Barn Owl Read More
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Great Horned Owl
The Longpoint schoolhouse
Great Horned Owl Read More
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Screech Owl
The Longpoint schoolhouse
Screech Owl Read More
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