Owls - Their types and Facts

The Owl is a solitary and nocturnal bird of prey with some exceptions e.g. the Northern Hawk Owl, Burrowing Owl, Short-eared Owls and Snowy Owls . Owls have large forward-facing eyes and ear-holes; a hawk-like beak; a flat face; and usually a conspicuous circle of soft, long, fluffy feathers, a facial disc, around each eye. Owls are excellent hunters. They use their keen senses of vision and hearing to catch prey. Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish.  As owls are farsighted, they are unable to see clearly anything within a few centimeters of their eyes. Their far vision, particularly in low light, is exceptionally good. Owls can make different call including hoots, whistles, screeches, screams, purrs, snorts and chatters. The literary collective noun for a group of owls is a parliament. Owls cannot move their eyes up, down or side to side like humans. owever they are able to torate their heads anywhere from 180-270 degrees. Owls live in wide variety of habitats including thick forest, open prairies, rainforest, grasslands, woodlands and tundra. They are found in al the contitents except Antartica. Elf Owl is the smallest owl weighing as little as 31 g and measuring some 13.5 cm. Some of the pygmy owls are scarcely larger. The Great Grey Owl with 72 centimeters average is the largest is owl. Owl eggs usually have a white color and an almost spherical shape, and range in number from a few to a dozen, depending on species.  Eggs are laid at intervals of 1 to 3 days and do not hatch at the same time. Few types of owls
Elf owl Elf Owl is the smallest and lightest owl weighing as little as 31 g that breeds in the southwestern United States and Mexico. These tiny owls are 12.5 to 14.5 cm long and have a wingspan of about 27 cm.  Their primary projection extends nearly past their tail. They have fairly long legs and often appear bow-legged. Elf Owls usually choose abandoned, north-facing woodpecker cavities in hardwood trees, to raise their young. The female usually lays three round white eggs. The eggs are incubated for about 3 weeks before the chicks hatch.  The young owlets fledge at about 10 weeks. Elf Owls feed mainly on insects and therefore occupy habitats with a ready supply of these
Pygmy owl Pygmy Owls are are the one of the smallest owl after elf owl. These are mostly small owls, and some of the species are called "owlets".  Most pygmy owl species are nocturnal and hunt mainly large insects and other small prey.
Snowy Owl The Snowy owl is large and beautiful bird. It lives in the tundra of North America.  The bird is also known in North America as the Arctic Owl, Great White Owl or Harfang. Snowy owls are white and marked sparsely with narrow, brown bars and spots. They have rounded heads, black bills and yellow eyes. The feet of Snowy Owls are heavily feathered. Snowy Owls are not nocturnal like other owls; rather, they hunt during the day and eat their meals at night. It is 52–71 centimetres long with a 125–150 centimetres wingspan. Also, these birds can weigh anywhere from 1.6–3 kilograms. This species of owl nests on the ground, building a scrape on top of a mound or boulder.  A site with good visibility, ready access to hunting areas, and a lack of snow is chosen. Gravel bars and abandoned eagle nests may be used.
Great Horned Owl The Great Horned Owl is a large and heavy bird also known as the Tiger Owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. They are also know as Hoot Owls, Cat Owls or Winged Owls. They vary in colors from reddish-brown to gray or black and white. They are found in Central,, North and Suth America. Great Horned Owls range in length from 46–68 cm and have a wingspan of 101–153 cm; Females are larger than males, an average adult being 55 cm long with a 124 cm wingspan and weighing about 1400 g. Their call is a low-pitched but loud ho-ho-hoo hoo hoo; sometimes it is only four syllables instead of five. Within their habitat, they can take up residence in trees that include deciduous, coniferous, and mixed forests, tropical rainforests, pampas, prairie, mountainous areas, deserts, subarctic tundra, rocky coasts, mangrove swamp forests, and some urban areas. Their are nocturnal and prey on small mammals such s mice, rabbits, squirrels and skunks and other birds like ducks and qail.