Remember that angelic white owl in the Harry Potter series, which helps Harry in various chores like sending a postcard to his godfather, and even protects Harry from the attacks of Lord Voldermort? And do you remember those bedtime stories, in which, the smelly animal used to go to the owl to ask for the solution of its smell. Not only that story, but in hundreds of other bedtime stories, everyone seeks some sort of guidance from an owl like figurine. Owl being a wise bird is the same as Tiger being the king. The only difference is that owl is known for its wisdom because of some classical myths, whereas tiger is known as the king because of its actions.
It has been observed that the the term “wise” has been given to owl since ages. The early mythology pronounces owl to be wise and pure. Owl can be seen on numerous ancient inscriptions under mythology of any country. In India, owl is termed as a companion of Goddess Lakshmi, while a few mythologies like in the Arab mythology, owl is said to bring bad omens, but a single bad saying among hundreds of other good sayings render owl to be a bird of wisdom.
- Classification
Owls can be classified into two groups, which further contain many species of this bird. These two groups are based on the physiological factors of the bird. First comes the Barn Owls, that are recognized by their heart shaped face, a wingspan of 3.5 feet and their medium size. The second are True Owls, which usually are differentiated from barn owls due to their round facial disk and short tail. Almost all owls are inherited with a large head and big beautiful eyes, which can’t move.
- Head Twisting and Eyes
A fact about owls, that twists our head is how do owls twist their heads to such a huge extent. On seeing, it seems that owls can twist their heads to an extent of 360 degrees, that is they can complete a full revolution, but it actually does not happen. They can twist their head to an angle of 270 degrees, which is also pretty much large, and they can do it with such a speed that it seems as if they are completing a full revolution with their head. The reason why nature has given such a capability to owls is they have eyes fixed in their sockets. It means like human eyes, they can’t rotate their pupil and see the sides. They can just see straight as their eyes can see only in one particular direction. So, they have to twist their head to enjoy a side view. They also suffer from far sightedness, that is they can’t see objects within the range of a few centimeters of their eyes, properly, whereas they are gifted with a great sight for farther objects, especially in low light, hence justifying them to be nocturnal birds.
- Camouflage
The pattern on the exoskeleton of an owl also make us scratch our heads, as to why different kind of owls have different kind of patterns. After a lot of scientific researches, the reason find out is for the purpose of camouflage. The different patterns on different species are according to their surrounding environment, so that they can hide themselves in the bushes or snow and can catch their prey.
- Diet
Owls are well known predators, and usually feed on small mammals (including rodents) or insects (typical bird diet). Owls do not have a very good set of teeth in their mouth. All the possess is a beak without teeth, so they firstly tear their prey into small pieces, and then, swallows them.
- Flying without a Sound
Call it the capability of an owl, or transition by the passage of time in the physiology of the bird, owls have developed a system of their wings that they don’t produce sound while flying. This system of Silent Flight is really beneficial for them as they can attack on their prey without letting them get a clue about What hit them?
- Parliament
We are not talking about a few congressmen fighting over a bill in the Parliament House or the Pentagon. Here we are referring to the parliament of owls. It is quite unlikely that owls might elect their leaders, which might gather and have a discussion over a bucket of insects. Owls are usually solitary. They don’t like much company, but if you are able to spot a rare group of owls, refer them a Parliament.
Owls are usually not meant ideal for domestication purposes, but they do eat rodents, so are kept by many households to get rid of rats in their houses. Framing that dialogue again, birds are not meant to be caged. So, if you want to domesticate an owl, train it, and let it free. It is loyal and would come back to your house, which after training would also be its house. So let the owl free, domesticate it, and enjoy the beauty of this bird. Don’t forget to have a look into its big deep eyes, as eyes do say a lot about anything, maybe a bird or an animal.