Owls, San Diego Zoo Animal Bytes
Owls, San Diego Zoo Animal Bytes
Range: every continent except Antarctica
Habitat: virtually all terrestrial habitats from the Arctic to the tropics
Captivating owls: what’s their secret?
What is it about owls that makes them so mysterious to us? They have had a powerful hold on the human imagination across centuries and cultures, appearing as warnings of doom or as symbols of wisdom. Of course, we know they are nocturnal, and their nighttime habits may make them seem scary or spooky to us. We think of them flying silently over churchyards, and their eyes seem to glow in the dark. But there’s nothing supernatural about their acute hearing and sight. Far from fearing owls, we should appreciate them as competent predators that hunt mice and other rodents, helping to maintain a balance in nature.
Owls, owls everywhere
Because there are owls living everywhere, there’s a good chance that there are several different species of owls living near your home. Some owls prefer cold climates, while others live in deserts or rain forests. Some, like barn owls Tyto alba, hunt in wide open spaces. Others, like long-eared owls Asio sp., make their home in the forest. A small wingspan on a chestnut-backed owlet Glaucidium castanonotum helps it to navigate around trees in a tropical rain forest, but the longer wings on a barn owl are ideal for cruising over open fields.
Owls compete with each other for territory and food, but fortunately owls of different species can coexist by hunting at different times of the day or night. The great gray owl Strix nebulosa, the ural owl Strix uralensis, and the tawny owl Strix aluco all live in the same range, but the great gray owl is a daytime hunter. It prefers voles as prey. The tawny owl also hunts voles, but only at night, and the ural owl hunts larger prey, such as squirrels.
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