It’s a bird…It’s a plane…no, actually, it’s a bird. More specifically, the wisest bird of them all, THE OWL! Want to know more about these awesome predators? Here are 25 Awesome Owl Facts You’ll Want To Know!
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Owls are nocturnal birds of prey with large eyes, a facial disc, a hooked beak, and typically a loud hooting call. Owls belong to a group of birds that includes about 205 species. These species are sorted into two basic groups, the true owls or typical owls, Strigidae; and the barn owls, Tytonidae. Baby owls—or as you may now call them, owlets—are born without flight feathers. That means, at a young age, these weird-looking cotton balls with eyes and beaks are stuck on the ground. Barn owls have a heart-shaped face, long legs, and powerful talons. There are 16 species of barn owls. Typical owls are more diverse than barn owls, with nearly 190 species in about 23 genera. True owls have around the facial disc, a short tail and a large head. An owl’s enormous eyes might be capable of amazing vision, but it’s his flexible neck that gives him a full view of his surroundings. A typical owl is from 13 to 71 centimeters (5 to 28 inches) tall; Barn owl is from 23 to 53 centimeters (9 to 21 inches) tall. The largest are Eurasian eagle-owl [pic. below] and Blakiston’s fish owl (Bubo blakistoni), they can reach the weight of around 4.5 kilograms (10 pounds) and a wingspan of 2 meters (6.6 feet). The smallest is elf owl (Micrathene whitneyi) reaches the weight of only 40 grams (1.4 ounces) and length of 14 centimeters (5.5 inches). Captive owls have been known to live as long as 20 years with the larger species. Owls are found across all continents except Antarctica. Owls live in a variety of habitats, including coniferous forests, mountains, deserts, and plains. The snowy owl lives in the cold tundra of the north. Owls vary on their color due to environmental changes. They change their color to match or camouflage into their environment.also read: Amazing Facts: Facts about France that will dazzle you