Any species of raptorial birds of the family Strigidæ. They have large eyes and ears, and a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye. They are mostly nocturnal in their habits.
A group of chiefly nighttime hunters; eighteen species occur in North America. Owls are unique among raptors in having soft plumage for virtually soundless flight. Other owl specialties include huge, forward facing eyes that can see in almost total darkness, and large ear openings that give the birds phenomenal hearing.
from Latin "ululo," for "crying out loud," symbolic bird of Athens, Greece
nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes
A bird, not related to other raptors but to Nightjars that hunts birds and animals, usually at night.
Owls are nocturnal birds with large eyes and very good eyesight. Some owls live in rainforests. Zoom Rainforests Rainforest Glossary Click on an underlined word for more information on that subject. If the rainforest term you are looking for is not in the dictionary, please e-mail us. Enchanted Learning® Over 20,000 Web Pages. Sample Pages for Prospective Subscribers
Any of the chiefly nocturnal birds of prey of the family Strigidæ. Very well represented in the North Country by four resident species, the Barred ( Strix varia), Boreal ( Aegolius funereus), Great Grey ( Strix nebulosa), and Great Horned Owl ( Bubo virginianus); two summer migrants, the Long Eared Owl ( Asio otus) and Northern Saw Whet Owl ( Aegolius acadicus); and two winter visitors from yet farther north, the Snowy Owl ( Nyctea scandiaca) of the tundra and the boreal Northern Hawk Owl ( Surnia ulula). The Boreal, Great Grey, Snowy, and Northern Hawk owls are all considered prized nothern specialties by American birders. Kâkoko in the Ojibwe.
Owls are solitary, mainly nocturnal birds of prey. They are classified in the order Strigiformes, in which there are over 200 extant species. Owls mostly hunt small mammals, insects, and other birds, though a few species specialize in hunting fish.