Owls are nocturnal birds, which means they mostly hunt and are active at night, just like some of our night owl friends. In terms of food and living habits, they are very much similar to other day-active birds.
One of the most fascinating facts about owls is that they cannot move their eyes as we do, but they can move their head 270 degrees, and no other animal can turn its head as far as an owl.
Quirky Fact: If the eyes of an owl are all dark black, that means they are pure nocturnal, which means they are awake and active at night and asleep during the day.
If the eyes have some amount of yellow or look a bit yellowish, they are crepuscular, which means they are active during twilight, hunting primarily at dawn and dusk, though they may also be active during the day.
Owls also have some of the most fascinating hearing. The face of an owl works as a funnel; it directs the vibration of the sound through its ear, which is why owls have very sharp hearing.
Owls are the quietest flying birds.
If an owl has ever flown by you, you will never be able to hear anything. For example, if a pigeon or any other bird flies by, you will be able to hear the movement of their wings, but not that of an owl. Wings of owls have long velvety feathers that do not make any sound.
Home of an Owl
Owls do not make their own nests; they typically take over existing structures like old nests made by other birds, use tree cavities, or nest in man-made structures.
Many owls show the behaviour of nest fidelity, which means they come back to the same place to build their nest year after year. This habit is called nest site fidelity.
It’s useful because the bird already knows the area well—where to find food, which spots are safe from predators, and how nearby animals behave. By returning to a familiar place, the bird can raise its young more successfully than if it had to learn everything from scratch each year.
Even scientists have observed that the pair of owls has been using the same nest from 1997 to 2018, and some studies have shown that some nests are being used for more than 50 years.
Quirky Fact: The largest owl of India is the Eurasian eagle owl, and the smallest is the collared owlet
Types of Owls found in India
Owls belong to the Order Strigiformes and families Strigidae and Tytonidae. There are more than 200 species of owls found worldwide, and of these, about 38 species are found in India.
Out of these 38 species, 34 are resident species, and 4 are migratory.
Out of these 38 species, 7 are endemic.
1. Barn Owl (Tyto alba)
The barn owl is one of the most common owls found all over the world. It can be found in almost all types of habitats, including urban, rural and forest.
They are farmers’ best friend because they are mainly feed on rodents like rats and shrew.
These birds are so good at surviving that they can be found in cities like Mumbai. In a particular area in Mumbai, once there was a population of 2-4 barn owls per building. The locals were scared of their high population, but we know that they are only friends of ours. The high number of rodents, like rats and shrew, helps barn owls to sustain a healthy life even in places like Mumbai.
2. Andaman Barn Owl (Tyto deroepstorffi)
This owl is very similar to the barn owl, the main difference is that the belly of this owl is much yellower than the barn owl.
As the name suggests, this bran owl is only found in the Andaman Islands.
3. Eastern Grass Owl (Tyto longimembris)
This owl lives in tall grass, grasslands of the Himalaya tarai, Ganga plains, Assam, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
This owl is a little smaller than the barn owl. It also eats rodents, insects and small grassland birds.
4. Oriental Bay Owl (Phodilus badius)
The bay owls are only found in the tropical part of the Old World. These owls are very shy and can only be seen in deep forests. Only very few people have seen these birds.
They also feed on insects, small mammals and birds. But they are highly specialised in hunting for flowerpecker birds. They hunt the flowerpeckers in the night.
Information credit: Dr Girish Jathar, Ornithologist
Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4zOPAPYGro
This is part 1 of the whole list, the next upcoming parts are below…
