Who-o-o knows about owls?

Who-o-o knows about owls?

There are about 150 owl species in the world. North America has around 19 species.

An owl is a predator and must eat other animals. Their diet consists of insects, small mammals, smaller birds, rodents, squirrels, and bats.

Since they must hunt to survive, they have a hooked beak, sharp talons, excellent eyesight and hearing.

Most owls hunt at night which makes them nocturnal.

Did you know…

          The eyes of an owl are not true “eyeballs.” Their tube-shaped eyes are completely immobile. They can not move their eyes around like we do.

          Because their eyes don’t move, they can rotate their neck up to 270 degrees! They have twice the number of vertebrae in their neck compared to other birds.

          Many owl species have asymmetrical ears. This means their ears are not straight across from each other. One is higher and one is lower on the side of their head.

          Owls eat by tearing apart their food, or by swallowing it whole!

An owl’s stomach cannot digest the fur, bones, teeth, feathers, and insect shells. They form these extra parts into a tight pellet which is later spit up by the owl.

Here at Brookgreen Gardens we have 4 species of owls in our zoo collection.

          Barred owls

          Barn owls

          Great horned owls

          Screech owls

barn owl.jpg

Barn owl

Make an owl from a paper plate!

owl craft 4.jpg

Materials:

          Paper plate

          Construction paper

          Crayons or paint

          Craft glue

          String or yarn for hanger

          Scissors

Procedure:

Fold the sides of the plate into the center to form the wings.

Fold the top of the plate down to form the head.

Before you glue the wings and head into place use a crayon to color the plate like an owl.

          (you can use craft paint if you would like, but a crayon will work just fine).

owl plate 2.jpg

 Cut out eyes, a beak, and feet from construction paper.

Glue the top of the head down on the plate, then add the eyes and beak to the head.

Don’t forget the feet on the bottom of the plate!

Last thing to do is add a hanger to the top of the plate.