The owl was a constant companion of the goddess Athena. The animal was a symbol of wisdom in ancient Greek mythology. In Slavs, in addition to knowledge, the bird symbolized the powers of darkness. The Indians of America believed that the cry of an owl portends death, and in Judaism, the nocturnal female demon Lilith appeared before people in the form of an owl. We will not go deep into mythology, but imagine a small photo review that includes the most beautiful owls and other representatives of the owls.
1
White Owl
This species of owls lives in the tundra, which is why it is often called the Arctic Owl. A wandering bird nests in the far north, but it can hunt in more southern latitudes.
The body color is white, but the iris is bright yellow. Adult individuals grow to 65 cm, and this is the largest representative of owls living in the tundra.
2
Western Lesser Eared Owl
The species was first described in 1867, and forests of Northwest America are the habitat. Due to its size, it is also called Little Eagle Owl.
Plumage acts as a kind of camouflage, and the bird in moments of danger easily hides in the foliage. Females of this species do not grow more than 23 cm, and the wingspan is 57 cm. Hunts for insects, as well as small rodents, relying on their hearing and eyesight.
By the way, on our site most-beauty.ru you can find out many interesting facts about insects, as well as admire their most unusual representatives.
3
Eurasian Eagle Owl
Of the entire family of owls, this inhabitant of Eurasia is the largest predator. It easily hunts hares and even small deer. The wingspan can reach 2 m, and the body length is from 60 to 75 cm.
It is easy to recognize the inhabitant of forests by a characteristic cry that you can’t confuse with the voice of other birds. Many Asian peoples consider it sacred, and have always revered it as "the king of night birds of prey."
4
Barn owl
Bird of prey can be found on all continents except Antarctica. But in Russia it nests only in the Kaliningrad region. They live alone, but sometimes hunt in small groups.
Has a magnificent, soft plumage. The upper body of the barn owl is reddish with a reddish tint, but the abdomen is white with dark spots.
5
Striped owl
A beautiful small bird of prey settles in the vastness of Central and South America. She has characteristic feather ears and a pronounced facial disc.
Prefers open spaces where it is easy to hunt rodents. It can settle in suburban forests, because it can often be found in the city.
6
Virgin owl
On the North American continent, it is the largest representative of the family of common owls. The largest in the world is only its Eurasian relative.
Received its species name in the US state, where the owl was first discovered. Feather ears are located on the head, which is why the owl is called the Great Horned Owl.
7
Sparrow owl
One of the smallest owls, the wingspan of which is 32-40 cm, and the body length does not exceed more than 19 cm. They live only in Europe and Asia, preferring alpine coniferous forests.
A small bird hunts during the day, as well as at dusk. For nesting, choose old hollow woodpeckers. One of the few owls that makes food supplies. Despite its small size, it can attack large mammals.
8
Needle owl
This is the only species of the same genus of echinoderms that lives on the territory of Russia. They are migratory, arriving in Primorye in May, and flying to the warm countries of Asia in September.
They feed on large nocturnal butterflies, insects, but with pleasure they eat small rodents, birds, bats. The color of the females is slightly lighter than the males, and the chicks hatch from the eggs, covered with white fluff of 5-7 mm.
9
Great Gray Owl
An amazing bird, whose wingspan reaches 1.5 m, lives in the taiga regions of the planet. You can also meet a large owl in the mountain forests, where it settles in hollows.
Under the beak, the bird has a dark spot, because of which the specific name was obtained. It hunts in the daytime, and small rodents, sometimes squirrels, enter the diet.
10
White-necked Neotropic Owl
The inhabitant of South America reaches a length of 44 cm. These owls have an unusual head color with yellow eyebrows and a white stripe on the neck. They settle in impenetrable rainforests at an altitude of 1,500 m above sea level.
A sedentary bird that can be distinguished by a characteristic cry. They lead a nocturnal lifestyle, and during the day they sit among the branches of trees. They feed on birds, as well as large insects.
11
Himalayan Fish Owl
This species was first discovered in 1836, and by its name you can already understand that it settles in the mountainous regions of the Himalayas. It is also found in Thailand, India and China, settling in forests where there are ponds.
It hunts equally well both day and night. In the diet, fish, small rodents, crabs. The color of females and males is the same, but the females are slightly larger.
12
Hawk owl
This species of owls nests in the forests of Eurasia and North America. A separate population lives in the Tien Shan mountains. It hunts for voles, lemmings, and when they are not enough, it can attack squirrels.
Nests on old stumps, in half-hollows, sometimes occupying the hollow of other birds of prey. In May 1911, an asteroid was discovered, which was given the name in honor of the Hawk Owl.
13
Splyushka
The little owl lives in Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East, but winters in tropical Africa. Due to the characteristic scream, which resembles the melodious whistling “spitting,” the view got its name.
The migratory bird feeds on insects and butterflies, and because of its small size rarely attacks vertebrate mammals. It flies to Russia in mid-April, and flies to winter in August - early September.
14
Madagascar eared owl
It lives only in Madagascar, settling at an altitude of 1,600 - 1,800 m above sea level in the central and western part of the island. With a body size of up to 50 cm, it is the largest owl on the island.
Leads a nocturnal lifestyle, hunting rodents. It easily hunts in forests and in open areas. Females are slightly larger than males, and the color is almost identical.
15
California Owl Gnome
Belongs to the family of passerines, and a bird of prey lives in North America. These small owls hunt only during the day, relying only on their good eyesight. The main prey are rodents and insects.
Only its head can be eaten by its victims, but only soft tissues can be eaten by insects. During the period of excitement, the male emits 8 notes per second. Females are more silent, but males scream guarding their territory.
16
Tailed owl
This species features a long tail, painted with dark stripes. This bird of prey was first discovered and described in 1771. The habitat is quite extensive, and stretches from Scandinavia, through all of Russia to the Kuril Islands.
It settles in the hollows of mixed forests, closer to the edge of the forest. It preys on voles, but can attack large birds such as black grouse or hazel grouse.
17
Cuban scoop
A beautiful bird of prey with bulging eyes lives only on the island of Cuba and Huventud, but its cry is more like the voice of a cuckoo. They prefer to settle in moist forests and savannahs.
The scoop's upper body is dark, but its lower is light. Above the eyes are two light stripes resembling eyebrows. They eat small insects, but can attack other birds.
18
Cape Eagle Owl
The inhabitant of South Africa grows to 60 cm, and weighs almost 2 kg. This eagle owl is easily recognizable by its colorful plumage and characteristic feather ears.
Lives in mountainous areas, but can hunt in the savannah. It can attack an animal that is 4 times its own weight. According to the habitat, there are three subspecies that differ in size and color of plumage.
19
Marble Fish Owl
It lives in forests growing along African rivers, which are not suitable for economic activity. In the rainy season, these rivers flood, and a marble owl easily hunts fish that appears on the surface.
The color of the head and body is quite variegated, and varies from light brown to brown. Depending on the habitat, gray birds are also found.
20
White-faced scoop
We complete our photo review with beautiful white-faced scoops, which include two species - Southern and Northern white-faced scoops. They live on the African continent just south of the Sahara desert.
This species has learned to defend itself perfectly against external enemies. In times of danger, the bird spreads its wings, and also visually lengthens the size of the body due to feathers. Such a protective mechanism was demonstrated in the popular Japanese television show, whose frames quickly flew around the world.
Finally
More recently, in one of the caves in the south of France, a rock painting of an owl was discovered, which was left by the Paleolithic artist. It turns out, already in antiquity, these nocturnal predators occupied people's thoughts. In total, in the wild, there are about 200 species of owls that live in almost all countries of the world. Many of them are listed in the Red Book and hunting for them is prohibited. A large bird of prey hunts at night or at dusk, and the main diet is rodents, snakes, frogs.
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Posted by Valery Skiba