Owl's - Nature's Silent Hunters

At the RSPB we're really interested in your wildlife sightings, whether they are in the UK or abroad. Let us know if they showed any behaviours mentioned in this post.

Did you know that in English and Celtic folklore owls were known as ‘creatures of the shadows’ and were commonly associated with death? If an owl was heard screeching or calling whilst flying past a sick person’s window, it was believed that death was imminent. A group of animals feared due to their conspicuous nocturnal lifestyle by our ancestors are in reality just very skilled predators that have developed a number of characteristics to help them detect and catch prey without being seen nor heard.

Owls of the United Kingdom

Across the globe over 200 species of owl exist, most of which are solitary, nocturnal birds of prey that hunt on small animals, such as rodents. The UK is home to five species: the barn owl, tawny owl, long-eared owl, short-eared owl and little owl.

The barn owl is the most recognisable species and is found across a large proportion of the globe, from the Americas to Australia. In the UK many witnessed in the winter months will be migrant visitors from Northern Europe. Despite this the tawny owl is the most commonly found owl in the UK and is recognised more for its ‘hoot’ call than its appearance. All of the UK species are nocturnal apart from the short-eared owl which can be seen hunting on grassland and marshlands during for small rodents during the day.

The little owl is the smallest of all five species and is the only which isn’t native to Britain. The little owl is native to mainland Europe and after being introduced during the 19^th century its population has become readily established with around 5,700 pairs calling the UK home.

What makes an owl, an owl?

Owls have a many characteristics which make them the perfect nocturnal hunters. Owls differ from other types of birds of prey by their broad flat faces and down turned beak. Forward facing, large, tubular eyes allow for exquisite binocular vision, which enables them to focus on prey from as far as 60ft away.

Much like other nocturnal predators, owls have tubular shaped eyes which help them to see with great precision in the dark. Despite its advantages it does come with one major downside; to be tubular the eyes have to be fixed which means owls can’t move their eyes. However most owls have found a solution to this problem and have evolved the ability to rotate their neck up to 270^o (not 360 ^o as many believe). This helps them visualise their surroundings and unlike humans who have only seven, owls have 14 neck vertebrae making their necks that much more flexible.

Hunting in the darkness

Most owl species are nocturnal specialists, hunting in the night for small vertebrates such as voles and mice. Some are routinely seen during dusk and dawn periods, but despite there being some light, hunting during these periods is still incredibly difficult. Owls have therefore evolved a superb sense of hearing, highly developed nocturnal vision and a silent flight all to aid them when day turns to night.

To help locate its next meal, owls also have asymmetrically placed ears with one ear placed higher than the other. An owl will turn its head until the sound reaches both ears at the same time, allowing it to pinpoint the direction of its prey perfectly. Most nocturnal animals, including an owl’s prey will have a heightened sense of hearing, so for an owl, being able to swoop and pounce undetected on unexpecting prey is a huge advantage. Tiny serrated edges on its wing feathers funnel any air turbulence, breaking down the rushing air until it’s almost silent. And to top it all off the down facing beak and large talons provide the perfect tearing tools, ready for it to tuck into its next meal without having to put up a fight, making it one of the most efficient nocturnal predators.

Have you seen any owls on your recent trips? It would be great to know what species' you have seen of late and where you have seen them!