More than 200 species of mostly solitary, nocturnal birds of prey, with an upright stance, a broad head, forward-facing eyes and feathers adapted for near-silent flight.
Quick answers
What is it?Bird
Carnivore?Yes
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Night
Most owls hunt at night, but a few, like the northern hawk-owl, are active by day.
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inWorldwide
HabitatForest, Grassland, Desert, Farmland
ColoursBrown, White, Grey
SizeMedium
Length13.5 cm (elf owl) to 71 cm (Eurasian eagle-owl)
Weight31 g (elf owl) to 4.2 kg (Eurasian eagle-owl)
Legs2
Covered inFeathers
Lives alone
Lives for10–25 years
Can fly
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Every region of the Earth except the polar ice caps and some remote islands.
- What it eats
- Mostly small mammals, insects and other birds; a few species specialise in fish. Bones and fur are coughed up as pellets.
Did you know
Cannot move its eyes, so it turns its head 270° instead.
Serrated edges on its wing feathers break up the air, making its flight almost silent.
Often confused with
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