5 Interesting Facts about Owls May 18 2016

Unraveling the Mysteries behind the Owl

Owls are majestic creatures that have an air of mystery about them. Many cultures see them as omens of both good and misfortune. A lot of it comes from lack of knowledge about the birds. Here are some facts about owls that will dispel their enigmatic qualities but leave you impressed all the same.

5 Impressive Facts About Owls

  1. Owls Can Turn Their Heads (Almost) All the Way Around

Many believe that owls can turn their heads all the way around. They very nearly can. Their necks have the ability to turn 135 degrees in either direction. Scientist attribute this to bone adaptation which allows owls to turn their head without cutting off blood flow to their brains.

  1. Owls are Far-Sighted

Here's a fun fact about owl's eyes: The shape of an owl’s eyes are not spherical. Instead, they are shaped like tubes which go back into their heads.  This means their eyesight is fixed and is far-sighted meaning they can see prey far away but everything up close is blurry. The shape also makes it easier for them to see in the dark.

  1. Their Hearing is Nothing Short of Amazing

To help with their sight is the super-sonic hearing owls possess. Owls are able to hear prey that are hidden beneath dirt, leaves, and brush. Some owls will even have a few sets of ears along different heights of their heads. This enables owls to detect their prey exactly where they are at.

  1. They Act as Pest Control

Since owls eat a lot of rodents, many farmers are now installing nesting boxes on their property. The average barn owl will eat over 3000 rodents in a four month span along with 50 pounds of gopher in a year.

  1. Owls Eat Their Prey Whole

Generally, owls will eat their prey whole after killing it. Owls do not possess teeth so they cannot chew their food. Their digestive tract is able to process their prey and compact what could not be digested into a pellet.

Owl Pellets

At Pellet.com, we provide these owl pellet facts and natural barn owl pellets for study so that more mysteries of the owl can be unlocked. From the pellet, we can discover the diet of certain owls or animals that are in the area.

To learn more cool barn owl facts for kids, please visit our site.