Interesting Owl Facts

Most people are aware that owls can turn their heads more than a whole circle (from the back to the back of course), but how many of us realise just how versatile an owl's neck really is? This picture, taken in 1985, shows that "upside-down" look. The reason for this amazing ability is down to the number of neck vertebrae - 14, twice as many as humans. This was the first Barn Owl we ever bred, and after seeing him do this at 12 weeks old, I had to wait with my camera for 45 minutes before he did it again. Luckily I got my picture, and have never seen another owl do this from that day. This was in the days before digital cameras, so this was reproduced from the originaI photograph, hence the loss of quality. I have no idea why he did it as it doesn't seem to help in any way. We put it down to an inquisitve juvenile, and gave him the name "Twizzle". Sadly Twizzle is no longer with us, having passed away in 2005, at the ripe old age of 20.

Barn Owls haven't always been know as 'Barn Owls'. In the past they have had several names, including "Church Owl", after many were sighted in and around churches and graveyards, and "Ghost Owl", for a similar reason. "White Owl", for obvious reasons, and "Screech Owl", because of the eerie shriek they emit, are two other names once used for this species. Barn Owls are not purely nocturnal, as with large families in the middle of summer when nights are short, they are forced to hunt during the hours of daylight in order to catch enough mice and voles to satisfy their growing brood.

Did You Know...

- Owls cannot move their eyes within their sockets. This means they have to turn their head to see in a different direction.

- Not all owls can hoot. Owls make a wide variety of sounds, including hisses, screeches and screams.

- The name given to a group of owl is a Parliament, although sometimes they are called a 'Wisdom of Owls'.

- Owls are farsighted, and cannot see things that are within a few centimeters of their eyes. They have 'filoplumes' which are small hair-like feathers on their beak that locate close-up items.

- Many species of owl have feathers that stick up from the top of the head, eg. Eagle Owls, Screech Owls, Scops Owls, etc. These ear tufts are nothing to do with hearing of an owl but are useful for camouflage and sometimes for showing aggression.

- A pair of Barn Owls hunting normally can account for more than 3,000 small rodents in a year, making them the farmer's best friend. During the breeding season this number would increase, depending on the number of young.

- Owls cannot see in total darkness, however many owls can catch their prey even when they cannot see it. The sound of a mouse or vole under leaves or thin snow covering would be enough for a Barn Owl to locate them using their ears alone.

- Female Barn Owls usually have more speckles on their breast than the male. It is often thought that the more spots a female has, the more resistant she would be to parasites and disease.

- If you ever find a fluffy baby Tawny Owl on the ground in a woodland, you should leave it alone. At three weeks old they can climb back up the tree trunk using their feet and beak, and flapping their wings. It can also be dangerous as the parents may well be watching, and might attack to protect their young.

- Not all owls are nocturnal. Many species, such as short-eared owls, fly in the daytime. For example, Snowy Owls come from sub-arctic regions where there is no night time for about 5 months each year. Barn Owls, although normally nocturnal, will also fly in day light when there are large families to feed.

- Eskimos eat Snowy Owls. Also, when the young of Snowy Owls are threatened by wolves or arctic foxes, the adults will attack by swooping down and catching the predator with their talons.