Owls are birds that differ from the rest in their physiology and lifestyle. They lead mainly a nocturnal lifestyle, as they see well in the dark. Sharp claws allow them to track down and kill their victim instantly. What types of owls exist, and what are their distinctive features? That’s what we’ll talk about now. It should be noted right away that there are about 220 species, but we will consider the most interesting of them.
A bit about the features of owls
Immediately necessary to say a few words about the size of these birds. The smallest representative, for which he, in fact, got its name, is a sparrow owl. The weight of the bird is only 50-80 grams, and the length is not more than 20 centimeters. The biggest owl is an eagle owl. Often there are individuals reaching impressive sizes. The length is 60-75 centimeters, and weight up to 4 kilograms. However, regardless of size, all types of owls have a large head with magnificent plumage, which is why many may think that it is round. Due to the specific plumage, a flat front disc is formed. Large and beautiful eyes - this is what many predators are attracted to. Their eyeball is able to capture large streams of light with low intensity, which allows them to perfectly see and track their prey at night.
Owls have ordinary ears that do not have an outer shell. For example, a “long-eared owl” has bunches of additional sensitive feathers that improve the conduction of sounds directly to the ear. Due to the asymmetric arrangement, the predator finds the sound source with high accuracy, which allows you to quickly navigate. It is worth paying attention to the fact that hearing for an owl is more important than sight, and is the main organ of senses, since without it the bird simply can not hunt. The paws of all species of owls are very strong with sharp claws, which allows you to instantly kill your prey.
Types of owls: a brief description
Let's look at a few groups of predators that are the most expressive and interesting. We will begin with the gray owl. This is truly a gourmet owl that prefers to see only mice on its menu. But if it’s very tight with prey, it can be killed by young pigeons who have not left their nest, or by land birds. This species is found throughout Europe, but most often in Spain, Greece, etc. It used to be assumed that they also live in Siberia, but studies have not yielded results. The length of a large individual can reach half a meter, wingspan up to one meter.
The long-tailed owl is an owl, which is considered the largest of all currently known owls. The length of an adult male is almost 70 centimeters, and the wingspan can be 120 cm. Unlike all other owl representatives, there is absolutely no difference between individuals of different sexes. Specifically, this species is often not limited to hunting mice. They can also hunt hares, hazel grouse or rabbits. There were even cases of collision of a heron and a tailed owl, fortunately, both representatives survived.
Cave owl is common in America. She pulls out nests in the earth, often on plains, hills. Very often nests in other people's holes, for example, anteaters or armadillos. The most interesting thing is that such an owl with other mammals can live completely peacefully in the same hole. Confirmation of this was repeatedly captured by eyewitnesses.
Eagle owl and eared owl
“King of the night” - that's what they call one of the largest representatives of the owl family. The body length of this giant sometimes reaches 78 centimeters, and the wingspan is one and a half meters. It is found in almost all countries of the Old World. Despite the wide habitat, the “king of the night” cannot be called ordinary, because it is not so common. In the forests of Russia, the eagle owl is very rare, it was even listed in the Red Book. It is noteworthy that this predator practically does not wander, he remains in the place of the nest from year to year. As for hunting, the eagle owl searches for food only at night. Both small and large vertebrates can become its prey. Of course, all types of owls adore mice, as well as feline representatives, so the owl gives them the most attention.
A long-eared owl is a mini-version of an owl. This predator differs from the above in that it has a thin body and incredibly developed auricles. Additional tufts of feathers make this owl's hearing a little better. It is worth noting that specifically this type of bird is perceived by other species somewhat better. If other winged inhabitants do not tolerate the eagle owl, the eared owl does not cause such indignation. She is not so aggressive, and more sociable. Sometimes you can see how eared owls gather 20 or more individuals in one tree. So they sit until late at night, and then go on a hunt with the whole flock.
White Owl: a rare and unusually beautiful bird
Adults reach 71 centimeters in length, and the wingspan in this case is more than one and a half meters. Color depends on age. The younger the individual, the more brown spots throughout the body. Closer to old age, the bird can become completely snow-white. Unfortunately, such individuals are very rare and many naturalists have been tracking the polar long-livers for years. A white owl prefers loneliness, and does not consider a person to be his friend for justifiable reasons. Because of this, the predator loves a remote area, where he spends most of his life. Most often found in the Tundra and is a magnificent sight, especially when it comes to a large "wise" representative, on which there are practically no brown spots. Attacks on game, which was shot by a hunter, have been recorded. But in most cases, this representative of the owls behaves very carefully and tries not to catch the eye of a person. Let's talk in detail about this predator.
Habitat
In fact, a white owl, the photo of which the most sophisticated researchers dream to make, lives in many countries and localities. First of all, this, of course, is the tundra, but in practice, a bird can fly a little to the north. Travelers on their way to the pole constantly met this predator, so it is difficult to say exactly where the habitat of the white owl ends. The coasts of Spitsberger, in particular the northwestern and southern, are also inhabited by these inhabitants, but in small numbers. Occasionally, it was possible to observe these owls near the Novosibirsk coast. As for the tundra, it is found more or less evenly throughout its territory. But you can find a certain pattern: the more pestles, which are the main food in this territory, the more polar owls, and vice versa. In principle, the polar owl, the photo of which you must definitely see, is not so rare, but because it is common in the coldest places of the planet, people do not encounter it so often.
Breeding polar owls
We can say with confidence that the main reason for the high mortality of owls is hunger. Owls are very dependent on the rodent population. In a bad year, up to 30-60% of young individuals die. If there are quite a few small rodents, then the population of owls increases significantly. Fortunately, this species is not so much dependent on this, but rather, a person who hunts this bird plays a big role. Owls breed once a year around mid-May. The masonry is incubated by the female for 30-34 days. Sometimes the number of eggs reaches 11, but on average the bird lays 4-6 eggs. The role of the male is to obtain food for the female, and then for the brood. Occasionally, the female dies, and the male continues to incubate the clutch. By the way, despite the fact that an owl - a bird of prey and large individuals quite often die, for example, from shots of hunters or hunger, they choose a pair for themselves once for life. This applies not only to polar owls, but also to many other bird species of this group.
Features of plumage and behavior
As noted above, the color of these owls varies with age. Young individuals are completely mottled, have brown spots throughout the body, while a middle-aged bird is colored with longitudinal spots on the head and cross-spots on the body. But of greatest interest to researchers are individuals of advanced age. If you manage to meet a very old owl, then it is quite possible that it will turn out to be completely white, without any spots. But since the owl is a bird of prey, it does not always live to an old age, and therefore it causes unhealthy interest among poachers who are ready to shoot birds for their own benefit. No wonder these predators throughout their life try to avoid people. But it happens that a person came too close, in this case a polar owl pretends to be wounded or even dead. But if the threat does not pass, quickly rises and flies away. It is safe to say that the white owl is a bird that, first of all, tries to save its offspring at all costs, therefore it will always protect it. To do this, the male guards the female, observing from the mountain, and at the slightest threat gives her a signal with a cry.
Interesting information about polar owls
This group of predators differs in that they go hunting not only at night and in the evening, but also on a sunny day. Often this happens in the afternoon, when the owl is especially hungry. Before starting the hunt, the bird flies to a high hill or mountain, from where it has been observing for some time. Since the polar owl is a bird hunting relatively on small plots of land, then for the whole day it can not be overlooked. Of course, often even the most experienced connoisseurs of owls cannot get close to the distance of the shot to this bird. Most individuals are extremely fearful, even despite the fact that they rarely run into a direct threat, due to the poor population of their habitats. Perhaps this reaction indicates a well-developed instinct for self-preservation. It should be noted that the polar owl is a bird that is able to repel such daytime predators like a hawk or golden eagle. They rarely attack large individuals, but they often drop in on a nest with little owls.
Noteworthy features
Most researchers from all over the world gradually come to the conclusion that the owl family is an independent detachment. This is indicated by anatomical features, many of which have nothing to do with daytime predators. However, one must understand that different groups of owls sometimes have nothing in common with each other, except for anatomy. Some hunt at night, while others preferably during the day. For example, the owl has impressive dimensions, and the sparrow owl is the exact opposite of it. If hawk owls are similar to hawks, and eared owls are similar to eagle owls, then the same polar owls can be considered unique birds in some way, if only because ducks and other waterfowl often settle near the nests of these predators. Moreover, they live peacefully next to each other. This is due to the fact that the owl never hunts in the immediate vicinity of its nest, unlike some other predators. Although during the hunger strike, and this is possible. In any case, you need to at least once see how an owl gets food. There are a lot of photos that the bird is hunting on, but they are all obtained by hard work.
