2017-10-01 Birds & Bloom

The Secrets of Owls

ESSENTIALS

RICHARD BUQUOI

Put on your detective hat and learn what makes these

birds of prey so unique.

WHO COOKS

FOR YOU?

During the day,

barred owls

are quiet, but

at night are

recognized by

their call: who-

cooks-for-you.

BY KAITLIN STAINBROOK

Head: can fully turn 270 degrees

thanks to 14 neck vertebrae,

twice as many as humans

Eyes: big and close together

for binocular vision

Wings: huge wings
with softened edges allow
for silent f light

Beak: hooked for

tearing f lesh of

oversized prey

Ears: large and

hidden on head for

extreme hearing

Puzzling Out Pellets

Owls swallow smaller prey whole, but can’t digest

bones, fur or feathers. They regurgitate undigestible

material in a tight mass called a pellet. Researchers

dissect pellets to study what owls eat, but birders can

use them to figure out if they’re roosting nearby.

Talons: cla ws

are less curved

for better grip

strength—

owls suffocate

prey trapped in

their powerful

talons