g WHOOO KNOWS by Ellen Lambeth reat hor ne d ow By the time you’ve flapped through these pages, l yooou will know owls! Start below to discover what makes an owl an owl. Owl ears are hidden under feathers behind the eyes. They’re sensitive enough wls?wls? to pick up the tiniest sounds from prey. That lets an owl hunt in near total darkness.

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An owl’s huge eyes provide excellent vision— day or night. Both face ea a long- red ow forward, making it easier om l fr er to focus on prey and tell th exactly how far away it is. ea f t h ig l f

The feathers on the The bill is curved and Soft, fluffyfeathers face form a facial sharp, which is good for muffle the sound of air disc. It’s shaped like a ripping apart large prey. It passing over a flying The claws (called talons satellite dish to collect also doesn’t stick far out in owl’s body. Even the flap- are curved and very sharp—) sounds and channel front of the face. That way, ping wings are silent, thanks perfect for striking, killing, them to the ears. it can’t block sights and to soft, comb-like edges on and gripping prey. sounds from reaching the the stiff flight feathers. All bird’s eyes and ears. the better for the owl to hear WWE/ZACEK/NPL/MINDEN PICTURES (30-31); STEVE & DAVE MASLOWSKI (30TL); 30 and sneak up on prey. JAN VAN ARKEL/NIS/MINDEN PICTURES (30B) > 31 the Nature of owls Whooo You probably know that most owls are nocturnal (active at night). But not all can tell what of them. A few prefer to be out at dawn and dusk—others in broad daylight. I had for can Here are some more owl notes of interest. lunch? yoOOu?

On the Decline: Some owl species are endangered or at risk. This northern spot - ted owl is one of them. It lives only in old forests of the Pacific Northwest. But these forests are being cut down for lumber. To make matters worse, barred owls—a related species that survives more easily there—are taking over the forests that are left.

Bobblehead: Owls can’t move their eyes the way you can. Instead, they move their whole heads. They use their very flexible necks to bob their heads, = tilt them nearly upside down, or twist them almost all the way around. even has This northern pygmy owl WATCH IT! feathers that look like fake eyes on the back of its head! A predator about to attack from behind may change its mind, thinking it’s being watched. Owl Puke: Depending on what Fuzzy Wuzzy: What could kind it is, an owl may eat anything be cuter than a fuzzy owl from insects, fish, or lizards to chick, called an owlet? Two other birds or mammals. It usually owlets! These are tawny owls swallows its prey whole. But the When they first hatched, Mom. stuff the stomach can’t digest— stayed in the nest with them such as fur, feathers, bones, and while Dad brought in meals teeth—gets packed together in . After a meal, the for everybody. Now, they’ve an owl pellet - moved out onto a branch but owl throws up the pellet. By pick still can’t fly yet. They wait

ing a pellet apart, you can figure patiently for the folks to

out what the owl had eaten. deliver some take-out food.

ISABELLE GROC/TIDELIFE PHOTOGRAPHY (32); PHILIPPE CLEMENT/NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (32 INSET); 32 DONALD M. JONES (33TL,TR); HANS BOUWMEESTER/BUITEN-BEELD/MINDEN PICTURES (33B) 33 There are about 250 species of owls across the globe. They look different, sound different, and live in different habitats. Meet just a few of them here. WWho’sho’s ? Nature Note Wh ? Wh The elf owl More owls you might easily come across in the of the American Southwest United States are the great horned owl, barred and Mexico lives up to owl, and barn owl. Look for these and others its name. Small enough online or in a field guide—and then in to fit in the palm of your your own neighborhood. hand, it wins the title of The Eurasian eagle owl World’s Smallest Owl. shares the honor of World’s Largest Owl with the Blakiston’s fish owl of Asia. It stands about as tall as a collie. Note the “ears” or “horns,” which are really just tufts of feathers. Along with the bird’s colors, they help this owl blend in with its forest surroundings. Since the bird can raise and lower the tufts, they may also let the owl send messages to other owls.

Probably everyone recognizes the snowy owl. is about the That’s what Harry Potter’s A screech owl Hedwig is. Snowies are The cute little burrowing size of a very fluffy robin. the heaviest owls in North owl was made famous In the United States, there America. And their feath by a children’s book (and are a western species and ers match the snowy, open movie) titled Hoot. As an eastern one. They can - landscape in their home you might guess by its be found almost anywhere, in the Far North. In winter, name, this owl nests from forests to fields and snowy owls sometimes underground, which is from suburbs to towns. travel down to the “lower odd for any bird. And it’s They don’t screech, though. 48” states for a better active just about any Their trilling call is more like chance at finding food. time of day or night. Also a whistle or whinny. unlike other owls, it often = hangs out in colonies. ANDY ROUSE/NPL/MINDEN PICTURES (34-35); ROB REIJNEN/NIS/MINDEN PICTURES (34T); MATTHEW STUDEBAKER/BIA/MINDEN PICTURES (34B) >; JOE MCDONALD/MCDONALD WILDLIFE 34 PHOTOGRAPHY (35T); EDWARD MYLES/FLPA/MINDEN PICTURES (35B) 35