While the owl is linked with foolishness and stupidity in our part of the world, it is a symbol of wisdom in the West and also has some superstitions attached to it, making it a compulsory figure in any scary, mysterious or magical story and setting. But what really is the owl like? We really don't know as much about this bird as we do about others, so let's find out more about this mysterious creature. Being creatures of the night, they tend to hunt for small animals that are also active during the night, like the mouse and the mole. Owls have huge eyes so they gather more light which is the reason behind their excellent night vision. The great horned owl's eyes are nearly as large as that of man's and as they look forward, unlike other birds that have eyes on each side of the head, they see the same object from two different angles. Thus they get a three-dimensional perception which helps them a lot in catching their prey. However, unlike humans, the owl's eyes are fixed in the sockets and they can't turn them so they have to turn their head.
And, amazingly, along with 3-D vision, they have 3-D hearing too! This is because the ear opening on the right is higher than the one on the left so each ear receives a sound from a slightly different angle. Thus they can effectively locate their prey in total darkness - another feature that makes them excellent predators of the night.
Another speciality about owls is that they are gifted with silent flight because of the presence of tiny serrations along the leading edge of the feathers it uses for flying reduces the sound of flowing air. Owls have no teeth, thus large items are torn apart with talons and beak, and small morsels are swallowed whole. Approximately 12 hours later, they cough up the feathers, bones and fur in the shape of a football pellet. The female owl is larger than the male. So isn't this a fascinating bird?
— Naveed Fayyez
