Owl Facts & Worksheets

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The owl is a familiar nocturnal bird that hunts at night. They can be seen all across the world except in Antarctica. They are also recognized for their remarkable ability to swivel their heads 270 degrees. They are traditionally known for their supposed wisdom and their ability to get rid of troublesome rodents.

See the fact file below for more information on Owl, or you can download our 31-page Owl worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

All About Owls 

• The diversity of life on earth includes various plants and animals. The term “fauna” refers to all animal species, including birds, and other life forms, such as insects, reptiles, and amphibians. 
• There are many different species of intriguing birds on earth. Only warm-blooded species have this unique capacity for flight. One distinctive subgroup of birds is the owl. 

Classification of Owls

• Owls are nighttime, solitary birds of the Strigiformes order, well-known worldwide. 
• This order of owls has more than 200 different species. 
• They use all habitats, especially if suitable nesting sites are available, although these can vary from species to species. They prefer grasslands, marshlands, deciduous and conifer forests, deserts and agricultural fields, and beaches.
• The upright posture, big head, binocular eyesight, binaural hearing, and feathers tailored for silent flying are all classic owl traits.
• The Strigiformes order of owls can be subdivided into two families: (i) the Strigidae, which includes the true or typical owl family, and (ii) the Tytonidae, which includes the barn owl family. These families include all known species of owls.
• The barn owl family mostly features faces with a heart-shaped form, in contrast to the genuine owl family, which has varied physical aspects.
• Even though most owls are nocturnal by nature, there are two exceptions. These are the gregarious burrowing owl and the northern hawk owl, which are active throughout the day.
• Owls are found worldwide except for Antarctica and are so abundant that they have ingrained themselves in the human environment on every continent.

Owl Characteristics

• Large forward-facing eyes fixed in the front and ear openings, a hawk-like bent beak, and a flat face are standard features of all owl species.
• Further investigation revealed that the eyes are not actual eyeballs. 
• Unlike the typical prey birds of the family Strigiformes, their eyes expand into permanent tube structures.
• A face disc surrounds each of their eyes. Feathers on these discs help concentrate sound from various distances into asymmetrically positioned ear canals.  
• This asymmetry has developed from natural selection because it enables owls to hear sounds more clearly and pinpoint the origin of their prey when hunting, defending their territory, and hearing mating calls during breeding, especially at night.
• They can detect prey on pitch-black nights thanks to their binocular eyesight. 
• However, they cannot see all around because the eyes are fixed in their sockets. 
• Because of this, owls have an evolved 14-neck vertebrate system and modified circulatory system that enable them to spin their heads up to 270 degrees. 
• This enhances an owl’s vision and makes it easier for them to find the source of the sound. 
• It uses its extraordinary eyesight to locate the prey when it entirely turns its head and fixes on a specific sound and both ears get the same amplitude and frequency of sound.
• Another unique trait of owls, in addition to their eyes and ears, is their ability to fly silently. This capacity is one of their distinctive characteristics. 
• Their carefully designed wings significantly diminish the frequency of the sound of their flight over 2 kHz, making the sound even lower than their hearing threshold. 
• In addition to reducing noise from flapping feathers, their flying feathers have velvety textures that diminish aerodynamic disturbances. 
• The owl’s sole disadvantage is that its wings cannot fly after falling into a body of water since they are not waterproof. 
• One such behavioral characteristic of owls is their ability to blend in with their surroundings. 
• The feathers help the animal stay silent and blend in with its surroundings in such situations.
• An owl uses massive talons and its body to kill its prey by kneading and crushing the body and head of the victim. 
• An owl’s talons enable it to attack prey the same size as itself. The owl’s claws are cut and sharpened to help it kill prey. 
• The owl’s beak aids in tearing apart the prey’s tissues and opening them up. The curved beak’s intended function is to prevent visual obstruction and sound waves from bouncing off the face.

Owl Behavior and Breeding

• The owl is one of the most hospitable creatures on Earth because of its unusual traits and physical peculiarities.
• Small animals, insects, and other birds are also included in the diets of several owl species. For this reason, owls are also employed in rodent pest control. Some species are fish hunters exclusively. 
• Owls are sexually dimorphic, which means that the male and female of the species have unique characteristics in addition to having separate sex organs. 
• There are wide variations in the level of sexual dimorphism in owls. The fact that female owls are somewhat larger than males is a common trait among all owl species. 
• Most hypotheses contend that males’ more diminutive stature was naturally chosen owing to their greater agility, which aids them in foraging for food and hunting animals but also in defending themselves from danger.
• During the mating season, males are more likely than females to go out hunting for food where their agility plays a role.
• Owls only reproduce once a year, usually in spring in what is known as the breeding season. Some breed in winter. Each breeding season involves the laying of three to four eggs.
• The owl’s eggs are generally spherical and white in color. 
• One fascinating fact about owl reproduction is that, in certain species, females do not mate with the same male for the duration of their lives. 
• While the male stays in his region and mates with another female, female burrowing owls typically move around in search of other partners.
• Moreover, owl species make noises that enable birders to identify them quickly. 
• Many of them are lone fliers. However, they are also sometimes found in groups called “parliaments.”
• Owls consume fish and seeing one search for food is rather impressive.

Fun Facts About Owls 

• As was already established, owls have fixed eyes in the front. 
• Further investigation reveals that the eyes are not actual eyeballs. 
• Unlike the typical prey birds of the family Strigiformes, their eyes expand into permanent tube structures.
• Owls can swallow their prey whole. Pellets made of the inedible portions of the prey, such as bones, scales, and fur, are then expelled by the animal.
• Up to 1, 000 mice are eaten by barn owls each year. As a result, they are frequently employed on farms to manage rodent populations. All owls do not hoot. 
• Distinct owl species make different noises to attract mates or to alert possible rivals of their presence in their territory. 

Owl Symbolism and Mythology 

• Owls have been so popular throughout history that they now play a unique role in the cultural legacy of many different countries. African cultures associate owls with death, illness, and bad luck. Owls are also seen as signs of supernatural peril in Native American societies. 
• The warning to misbehaving youngsters that “the owls will get you” is one of the exciting owl facts that come from this.
• Native American societies such as the Aztecs, Uto-Aztecs, Hogara tribe, and the Maya associated owls with sorcery, the dead, and bad luck. The hooting of an owl is connected to boogeyman tales utilized in the Apache and Seminole tribes to keep kids indoors at night.
• However, this does not imply that owl symbolism is limited to negative connotations. The owl is associated with benign, good omens in Asia and many other cultures. 
• Due to a well-known legend in which Genghis Khan was protected from his foes by an owl hooting, owls have come to represent good luck. In Japan, owls are regarded as fortunate and are worn as charms.
• The owl is the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi’s animal form. In contemporary Western countries, owls are viewed as symbols of wisdom and watchfulness. 
• When an owl was used as a symbol for Athena, the Greek Goddess of knowledge, in antiquity, this idea that owls were intelligent and wise first emerged. 
• The Ojibwe tribes and their indigenous equivalents considered owls to be both harbingers of death and symbols of great spiritual rank. 
• The Pawnee tribes believed that owls would shield them from any threats in their territories. The Yakama tribes frequently employ owls as a totem for leading them through the forest, finding resources, and managing those resources.

Conservation of the Owl Species

• CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora includes the owl species in Appendix II.(Appendix II: This list also includes a list of species whose extinction is imminent if trade-in and consumption of those species are not prohibited).
• Due to their differing busy patterns, owls and humans often interact less. Nevertheless, even then, people have long killed owls, and now it appears that owl poaching is rising. 

Owl Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Owl across 31 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching kids about Owl, which is a familiar nocturnal bird known to swivel its heads 270 degrees.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

1. Owl Facts
2. Owl Anatomy 
3. Myth or Fact?
4. Owl Classification
5. Now You Know
6. Believer 
7. Fun facts 
8. Test Your Knowledge
9. Scrambled Letters
10. It’s the Season 
11. Owl Freedom 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is interesting about an owl?

Owls can turn their heads 270 degrees. When they turn their heads, the blood vessels in their necks become compressed. This is why owls have to rely on a circulatory system that stores blood in pools. This allows oxygen and nutrients to keep flowing to the brain and eyes.

What are owls’ abilities?

Owls have a lot of abilities that help them survive. Their eyesight and hearing are very good, and they can see in the dark. They can also fly without making any noise, which helps them sneak up on their prey.

How long can owls live?

In the wild, owls tend to live for 5-12 years. However, in captivity, they often have much longer lifespans. This large variation in owl lifespan largely depends on the species of owl.

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Link will appear as Owl Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, September 30, 2022