Owl : Owls are not instinctively friendly to humans.
Owls are birds that have big heads and eyes and have sharp talons to hunt. There are over 200 species of owls in the world like a barn owl, snowy owl, burrowing owl, great grey owl, and many more. Owls live in every region or continent except Antarctica. They belong to a family of birds known as Strigiformes. This family is further divided into two parts as one is Tytonidae which includes barn owls known for their heart-shaped faces. Another is Strigidae which includes all other owls who have round-shaped faces. With their big eyes and hairy head, they attract the attention of so many people. They are known to stay awake at night and with the help of their eyesight, they can see their surroundings even at night.
It is observed that many owls are nocturnal which means they are active at night. Also, some species are active during the day and rest at night and some species are active at dusk and dawn. While the owl is active, it is mostly looking for prey to hunt. Many species of owls are carnivores which include small mammals like mice. Also, some species of owl follow a different diet that contains fish, lizards, mice, and many more. Some species of owls also depend on insects for their diet; they are known as insectivores. It is said that the ears of an owl are very sensitive and can listen to high frequency and long-range voices. With this method, they can easily locate their prey and also know the location of the other owls.
The hunting styles of the owls are very effective. One of the hunting techniques is called perch and pounce. In this method, owls first observe their prey very carefully and when they see an opening, they glide towards the prey and catch them. Northern Hawk owls use this approach frequently. The second method is quartering flight. Here, the owls search for the prey while flying and then catch it as soon as they detect it. In both the methods, owls mostly hunt on the ground so that they can easily hear the prey and also see them. Burrowing owls commonly run on the ground to catch their prey and if we talk about the short-eared owl, they first hover like a helicopter on the prey and then catch it. We can say that different species follow different techniques to catch their prey depending on their body type and ability.
Sometimes, owls catch their prey and hide it or store them for the future. This method is called caching as owls catch the food and hide it in a safe place like tree holes, or behind some rocks. This is done when the hunting is done or to keep some stock for the future, they start collecting the food in their habitat. It is said that during the winter season, owls start mating. Owls are also known to capture homes built by other owls and here the survival of the fittest works as the prime strategy.
