Owl
BirdRaptorNocturnal
Great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) — used as a reference image for the broader owl profile.
Image: Glacier National Park Service (GlacierNPS), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (Glacier NPS).
Overview
Owls are predatory birds of the order Strigiformes. They are distributed across every continent except Antarctica and include species adapted to forest, tundra, grassland, desert, and urban habitats. Owls are characterised by a forward-facing facial disc that channels sound to the ears, large light-sensitive eyes, soft flight feathers that enable near-silent flight, and reversible outer toes that help in seizing prey.
Two main families are usually recognised: the typical owls (Strigidae) and the barn owls (Tytonidae). Together they include more than 200 living species.
Habitat & Range
Owl habitats are extremely diverse. Snowy owls inhabit Arctic tundra. Great horned owls and tawny owls are widely distributed in temperate forests. Burrowing owls inhabit grasslands and shrub-steppe and nest underground. Barn owls are commonly associated with farmland and human-built structures. The diversity of habitats reflects the wide ecological range of the order.
Diet
Owls are predominantly nocturnal predators feeding on small mammals (rodents, shrews), birds, reptiles, amphibians, and large insects. Larger species can take prey up to the size of hares or other medium-sized mammals. Owls swallow prey whole or in large pieces and later regurgitate indigestible parts — bones, fur and feathers — as compact pellets, which are an important source of dietary information for researchers.
Behavior
Owls are mostly nocturnal or crepuscular, though some species — including snowy owls and burrowing owls — are routinely active in daylight. They typically hunt from perches, scanning and listening for prey, or by quartering flight low over open ground.
Hearing in owls is highly developed. In many species the ear openings are asymmetrically placed on the skull, providing directional information used to locate prey under leaf litter or snow. The facial disc functions as a sound collector.
Human Interaction & Conservation
Owl conservation status varies markedly by species. Some — for example certain barn owl and tawny owl populations — remain widespread, while others are listed as threatened or endangered, often due to habitat loss, pesticide use, secondary poisoning from rodenticides, and collisions with vehicles or fences. Owls feature prominently in human culture and folklore, with strong symbolism varying widely between regions.
Appearance & Recognition
Owls share a compact, large-headed silhouette and a number of immediately recognisable features: large forward-facing eyes set within a feathered facial disc that channels sound toward the ears, a short hooked beak that is often partly hidden by surrounding feathers, and densely feathered legs ending in strong taloned feet. Plumage is typically cryptic — mottled in earth, bark, or snow tones — providing excellent camouflage at daytime roosts.
Body size, head shape, and markings vary enormously between species. Some species (great horned owl, long-eared owl, eagle owls) carry conspicuous tufts of feathers known as "ear tufts" or "plumicorns", which are not ears at all. The barn owl is recognisable by a clear heart-shaped white facial disc, while the snowy owl is largely white with varying dark barring. Field identification typically combines size, silhouette, facial-disc shape, ear-tuft presence or absence, plumage pattern, habitat, and call — colour alone is rarely sufficient because cryptic plumage looks different in different lighting.
Similar Animals
Owls are part of the broader group of birds of prey, but they belong to a separate order from diurnal raptors such as eagles, falcons and hawks. The grouping is now understood as a result of convergent evolution rather than close common ancestry.
More photos of the owl
Snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) — a different owl species from the hero great horned owl.
Image: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Snowy owl in profile — note the heavily feathered legs and rounded head.
Image: Roger Culos, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.