The Owl

In Nature and Belief

The Owl Owls are a group of mainly nocturnal birds Owls are raptors or birds of prey

They hunt for their food

Belong to the order Strigiformes Eighteen species belong to the family Tytonidae – the Barn Owls More than 194 known species belong to family Strigidae

Found on every continent except Antarctica Great variety of habitats Thick forests to open prairies

Range in size from 4½″ to 33″ Females are about 25% larger

Behavior

• Most Owls hunt at dusk and dawn

• Spend daytime at a quiet, inconspicuous roost

• Owls normally do not migrate, except in severe Northern climates

• Normally roost singly or in pairs – may form flocks

• A flock of Owls is called a Parliament

Great Horned Owl

staff.washington.edu great_horned_owl_02tk.jpg

Snowy Owl

www.photo.net snowy-owl-1.4.jpg

Senses

• Range of hearing similar to humans• Highly sensitive to noises

made by movement of potential prey

• Can accurately detect direction of sounds

• Extremely acute eyesight• Sees well night or day

• Eyes fixed in sockets• Can only look straight

ahead• Turns head to see

surroundings• Head can swivel 270°

http://www.southwestbirders.com burrowing%20owl_012_2s.jpg

Burrowing Owl

Spectacled Owl

staff.washington.edu spectacled_owl_03tk-.jpg

Hunting and Diet• Owls are usually opportunistic

feeders• Prey includes invertebrates,

fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and small mammals.

• Barn Owls eat mostly mice, shrews, and voles

• Eagle Owls will eat hares, small foxes, and birds as large as ducks

• Regurgitate pellets composed of indigestible parts

• Highly skilled hunters• Special feathers muffle sounds of

flight• About 24" from prey, the Owl

spreads its talons• When striking thrusts legs in front

of its face• Often close their eyes before the

kill staff.washington.edu barn_owl_03tk.jpg

Barn Owl

The Owl as a Totem Animal• The Owl is the totem of psychics

and clairvoyants• Has the courage to follow its

instincts• Owl's medicine includes

• Wisdom• Seeing behind masks• Silent and swift movement• Keen sight• Messenger of secrets and omens• Shape-shifting• Link between the dark, unseen world

and the world of light• Comfort with shadow self • Freedom • Moon power

www.alaskainfo.org/.../ item/photos/si_pgl06.jpg

Great Horned Owl

staff.washington.edu great_horned_owl_01tk.jpg

The Owl in Greek Mythology• Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom,

honored the night bird by making him her favorite among feathered creatures

• Athena's bird was a Little Owl, (Athene noctua)

• As the symbol of Athene, the Owl was a protector

• If an Owl flew over Greek Soldiers before a battle, they took it as a sign of victory

• The Little Owl also kept a watchful eye on Athenian trade and commerce from the reverse side of their coins

Athenian silver tetradrachmHellenistic style, 2nd century BC

Athenian silver tetradrachmClassical style, 5th century BC

owlpages.com/mythology/greek.html

www.photo.net-snowy owl-puffed-2.4.jpg

Snowy Owl

The Owl in Ancient Rome• To hear the hoot of an Owl

presaged imminent death • The death of Julius Caesar

was apparently predicted by an Owl

• Another Roman superstition was that witches transformed into Owls, and sucked the blood of babies

• A dead Owl nailed to the door of a house averted all evil that it supposedly had earlier caused

www.crystal-cure.com/ owl.html/dscf0222-s.jpg

Western Screech Owl

www.owlpages.com w_screech4_dl.jpg

English Folklore

• A screeching Barn Owl meant cold weather or a storm was coming

• Nailing an Owl to a barn door to ward off evil and lightning persisted into the 19th century

• If you walked around an Owl in a tree, it would turn and turn its head to watch you until it wrung its own neck

• Alcoholism was treated with raw Owl egg

jeffschuler.net/ archive/2003_07.html/Woodstock_totem_owl.jpg

Native American Owl Mask

Owl Mask, Front View © 2000, Coastal Arts,Ltd.Owl Mask, SideView © 2000, Coastal Arts,Ltd.

The Owl in Native American Beliefs• The Hopis Indians see the Burrowing Owl

as their god of the dead, the guardian of fires and tender of all underground things, including seed germination

• In the Sierras, native peoples believed the Great Horned Owl captured the souls of the dead and carried them to the underworld

• To an Apache Indian, dreaming of an Owl signified approaching death

• Native Northwest coast Kwagulth people believed that owls represented both a deceased person and their newly-released soul

• California Newuks believed that after death, the brave and virtuous became Great Horned Owls. The wicked, however, were doomed to become Barn Owls ! www.webpagevalet.com/ otyokwa/totem_pole_east.html/totem_pole_east.jpg

I can dance! [Burrowing Owl]

owling.com burrowing11.jpg

The End

Works Consulted

Burrowing Owls

www.cpawscalgary.org cw99-schurig.jpg

The Owl Pages. 23 Nov. 2004 <www.owlpages.com/physiology/general.html>.

Ellie Crystal. Crystalinks. 1995-2004. 24 Nov. 2004 <www.crystalinks.com/totemanimals.html>.

Ann Fearrington. North of the Border. 2000. 24 Nov. 2004<www.studioann.com/trip01_main.html>.

The Owl Pages. 26 Nov. 2004 <www.owlpages.com/mythology/Default.htm>.

Spirit of the Owl. 1997-2004. 26 Nov. 2004<www.ladyinblack.com/animals/owlspirit.htm>

Title Page Credit: staff.washington.edu - barn_owl_flying_01tk.jpg

Puget Sound

www.salvor.navy.mil PugetSound.jpg

Samish Bay [Puget Sound]

www.krabach.info Samish_Bay_Puget_Sound.jpg