Owls

Thanks to Harry Potter, most children recognize the familiar features that make an owl.

Here are some owl facts:

· There are 200 different types of owls in the world, and they live almost everywhere except Antarctica, most of Greenland, and a few small islands
· Owls are birds of prey, meaning they hunt and eat small mammals, birds, insects, even fish. What they eat depends on the type of owl
· Owls come in different sizes, some very small, weighing as little as an ounce (Elf owls, Pygmy owls), to very large, weighing as much as 10 pounds (Eagle owls, Snowy owls)
· We often think of owls as being nocturnal, or active at night, but many owls are active during the day as well
· People have used symbols of owls for a variety of purposes for thousands of years. The Egyptians used an owl symbol in their hieroglyphics
· A group of owls is called a ‘parliament’

Children usually recognize the familiar owl face: round head, large eyes, flat hawk-like beak. Children are often familiar with owls because of Harry Potter movies, but very few have ever seen an owl. As a matter of fact, most adults have never seen an owl in the wild.

Some nature centers have rescued owls in residence. These owls could not live in the wild, so they are often used to help educate people about these magnificent animals.

Owl Resources:

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Animals/CreatureFeature/Snowy-owl Photos, video, games, etc. related to the Snowy owl
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-owl.html Page of owl facts , photos, and links
http://www.kidwings.com/owlpellets/flash/v4/index.htm Virtual Owl Pellet Dissection