Interesting Owl Facts

• An owl's eyes are remarkably large, making up 1-5% of the bird's total body weight. That's proportionally huge compared to most animals!
• Owls are incredibly ancient birds. Species like Berruornis and Ogygoptynx existed 60 million years ago, making owls one of the oldest bird families alongside chickens, turkeys, and pheasants.
• You can actually determine an owl's activity pattern by their eye color: orange eyes indicate crepuscular activity (dawn and dusk), dark brown or black eyes mean they're nocturnal, and yellow eyes show they're active during the day.
• A group of owls has several collective names: parliament, wisdom, bazaar, or study. Each name seems fitting for these mysterious birds.
• Shakespeare referenced owls in Macbeth, describing one as "a fatal bellman, which gives the stern'st good-night" - quite an ominous portrayal.
• Despite their appeal, keeping owls as pets is illegal in the United States and most other countries for private individuals.
• Ancient Egyptians believed owls served as protectors, guarding the spirits of the dead during their journey to the underworld.
• Contrary to their reputation for intelligence, owls are surprisingly difficult to train. Even parrots, hawks, and pigeons are easier to work with than owls.
• Owl eyes are so large that they leave very little space in the skull for the brain, which is somewhat ironic given their association with wisdom.
• The Aztecs and Mayans had a very different view of owls, fearing them as symbols of death and destruction rather than wisdom.

Sept. 28, 2025, 9:36 p.m.

Written bY CYril