Left: The Burrowing Owl (speotyto cunicularis). Photo credit: Yaroslava Polosina.
Right: The Snowy Owl (bubo scandiacus). Photo credit: Tom Curtis.

Welcome to the Charming Owls of Owlmania!

This website provides some basic information about owls and why we love them.

There are two families of owls. Typical owls are called Strigidae. Barn owls belong to the group called Tytonidae. Unlike most birds, the owl has forward-facing eyes with an obvious circle of feathers around them. Their irises are usually brightly coloured. They may have ear tufts. Owls are distinctive, unusual, and very charming!

Owl Characteristics

Owls are mysterious and mystical creatures that are beloved and respected in just about every culture. Owls are mostly solitary creatures, not unlike sages and wise men. They can turn their heads 270 degrees, and move about with quiet power and stealth.

Owls are generally nocturnal, which contributes to their mystery and the idea that they ‘know’ hidden secrets. They have very sharp farsighted focus. Their large human-like eyes are associated with intelligence and wisdom. Owls are thought to be intuitive, psychic and clairvoyant messengers between the seen and unseen worlds.

Owls are keen, swift hunters of rodents and insects. Some varieties primarily eat fish. They use their sharp beak and menacing talons to kill prey, and when possible, swallow it whole. What can’t be digested, such as fur, bones or scales, are regurgitated as pellets.

A group of owls is referred to as a Parliament (which makes one wonder if there’s any subliminal suggestion about the wisdom of politicians!).