We know owls make great dads, and we also know that many great human dads are owl lovers. So, this Father's Day, give dad an unique owl gift that he will sure hoot about.
No question about it, owls are one of the most fascinating creatures on the planet. We have learned a lot about their mysterious ways. Yet, it seems there is more to learn. For now, though, lets review 10 of the most fascinating facts about them:
1. All owls can rotate their heads 270 degrees in any direction. (Not 360 degrees as was commonly believed).
2. Owl are silent flyers, allowing them to sneak up on their prey.
3. Owls eyes are tubular and fixed. They must turn their heads to see in different directions.
4. They are able to to make meals out of prey that are bigger than them, such as a fawn.
5. The large Fish Owls actually do prey on fish, mostly salmon. 6. Owls can swallow many of their prey whole. They then later regurgitate what is called 'pellets' which are the indigestible parts, such as fur and bones. 7. Burrowing Owls nest in the ground and place dung around their entrance to entice their favorite snacks, dung beetles. 8. Owls can be found anywhere in the world, except the Antarctica. 9. Owls can make some of the scariest noises in the animal kingdom. Some of their calls seem to come straight out of a horror film. Listen to some examples here.
10. The owls flattened face allows sounds to funnel to their ears; emphasizing their hearing ability about 10 times.
There are over 200 species of owls in the world, and in this blog we have covered most of the popular and well known ones. But, there are some that many are unfamiliar with, or are even aware they exist. One of these are the Fishing Owls. Yes, they are called that as they do primarily hunt fish, especially, salmon, as well as other land prey. Being that fish is their main diet, they inhabit areas with rivers with year round slow currents. They capture their fish prey by perching on low tree limbs or rocks over shallow water and pounce on the prey as it goes by. They have also been known to catch while sailing over water. Interesting enough, they are the largest owl in the world and ranked as the fifth heaviest. Maybe the reason they are not as well known is because of where they live. Fishing owls are found in remote areas of Russia, Japan and China. In addition to running rivers, the Fishing Owls need mature forest that can provide plenty of tree cavities for nesting. They are nocturnal birds, but can sometimes be seen during the day. They are said to have a very interesting call that is described as 'duet'. Listen to the Blakiston's fish owl here. The mating and breeding habits of Fishing owls are much like those of the other species. They usually become a couple at around age 2 and breed by age 3, with only one or two eggs laid. However, if two are laid, only one chick commonly survives. Sadly, like so many other owl species, the Fishing owls are endangered.
Owls have been struggling to survive for decades and the California Spotted Owl is no exception. Found primarily in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, their numbers are being threatened by logging, urban development, and even from the more aggressive barred owls. Consequently, the Center for Biological Diversity, along with a few other groups, presented a petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list this bird as endangered. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, they have not yet acted on this petition and, therefore, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the imperative need of this protection. According to the Center Biological Diversity, the decision from the US Fish and Wildlife Service was due in January 2016. Spotted Owls are medium sized owls with large white spots on their chest and belly. They lack ear turfs and have with big brown eyes. They have overall brown feathers, with the California subspecies' hue being between the lighter Northern Spotted and the darker Mexican Spotted. The California Spotted Owls prefer to live in high elevation in mature dense forests. Their main prey are the flying squirrel and the dusky-footed woodrat.
With the next major holiday being St. Patrick's day, I thought this would be an appropriate time to explore how luck plays in the role of the symbolic meanings of owls.
Let's start with Japan. In Japanese, the word for owl is 'fukurou', meaning protection and fortune. So it is not surprising that lucky owl charms are big in the Japanese culture. These charms are given as gifts for good luck with different colors having a specific purpose. As example: a white owl for happiness, a black owl for good health, a pink owl for love. In some Native American cultures, the owl was viewed as protective spirits. As such, shamans used their feathers in their practice to ward off evil spirits. At one time in Lorraine, France, it was believed that owls could help find husbands for spinsters. An old Welsh belief was that if a pregnant women heard an owl, it meant her child would be blessed. The owl was seen as a symbol of good fortune in ancient Greece. In Mongolia, it was believed that an owl had saved Genghis Khan's life. A Barn owl was roosting in the bush he was hiding in and when his enemies started looking there, they saw the owl and left. Khan's enemies did not believed the owl would have still been there if Khan was. Well, all this convinced me that we could all benefit from adding a few owls in our St. Patrick's Day celebration. Don't you agree? :)
