nature

Feathered "cats": how is an owl different from an owl?

Feathered "cats": how is an owl different from an owl?
Feathered "cats": how is an owl different from an owl?

Video: True Facts About The Owl 2024, July

Video: True Facts About The Owl 2024, July
Anonim

Their flight is silent, they perfectly see in the dark, they have keen hearing and instant reaction. Their moving head is capable of turning in any direction by 180 and 270 degrees! Their eyes are so huge that the bird's eyes seem very harsh. This effect occurs due to the stillness of the eyes. The people called them feathered cats, but the real name of these birds is owls. Larger owls are called owls. I wonder how the owl differs from an eagle owl and is it different at all? First, consider them separately.

Image

A keen owl and a wise owl

The whole body of an owl is adapted for night hunting. The slightest rustle even in complete darkness - and immediately the prey was discovered and caught! Large insects, other birds, small fish and small mammals can be its prey, depending on the size of the bird. Owls, exterminating rodents, bring great benefits to humans. They live all over the globe, except with the exception of Antarctica and several islands in the ocean. Their habitats are deserts, forests, mountains, tundra. Life expectancy of owls depends on their species. For example, small species of owls live up to 20 years, and large ones (for example, owl) in captivity live up to 68 years.

And how does an owl differ from an owl? That's right, nothing! Both birds are representatives of the family of real owls and are night hunters. An eagle owl is the same owl, only much larger and with short but stiff feathers in the area of ​​the auditory foramen. For example, an eagle owl is the largest owl found in forests, mountains and steppes. It lives throughout Russia. It feeds on both small rodents - mice, and large - hares. Sometimes such predators as ermines, weasels, sables and martens became victims, and some eyewitnesses claim that they saw how the eagle owl attacked foxes, young mountain goats and roe deer!

Image

Number one night hunters

After we answered the question “How is an owl different from an owl?”, It will not be out of place to find out why these birds do not sleep at night. The fact is that with the onset of darkness begins their hunting life. In the afternoon they are half asleep, but even the most insignificant noise can wake them. Owls shout quite peculiarly. On moonlit nights, they make sounds more often than usual, and during the mating period they do not stop talking all night. Their screams spread throughout the forest. Owl and eagle owl have a well-developed hearing, which is their main help in hunting.

Image

And yet: how does an owl differ from an owl?

If you delve deeply into this, then a couple of small but still differences can be found. First, take a look at the Latin names for the words “owl” and “eagle owl”: in Latin, these birds are called “noctuam” and “bubo”. Secondly, owls are usually considered a symbol of wisdom, while owls are a symbol of vigilance. It is interesting that from time to time zoologists themselves make a “castling” between these species of birds - an eagle owl can become an owl and vice versa. As a bonus, the third difference: no other owl, except for an eagle owl, causes general hatred from other birds, who constantly scoff at him. As you can see, the banal question "How is an owl different from an owl?" there is only one no less banal answer - in letters.