How do you tell a female owl from a male?

“Facts about Owls Part 1”

Size is often a first indicator: Like many bird species, a female owl will generally grow larger than a male. Certain species have distinct markings as well… for example, female barn owls will have a brown throat where males have a white throat. But, without seeing a male and a female of the same species sitting side by side, it would be next to impossible to tell for the average owl watcher.

What do owls eat?

Generally speaking, owls mostly eat small mammals, but also frogs, snakes, insects, and even fish. It very much depends on the size of the owl and the prey available in the area.

How do owls hunt?

Extremely efficiently! They have VERY good hearing and eye sight AND their flight is pretty much silent, allowing them to attack without warning. Their sharp talons are able to crush prey and their beaks do the rest. Barn owls’ hearing is so acute that they can even detect prey covered by leaves or other debris.

Do owls have great eye sight?

Oh yes, owls have excellent eye sight. At least, at a distance. Owls are far sighted — that means, they can see objects much better or clearer from far away than up close. Owls have also excellent binocular vision — meaning that both eyes can focus on one object at the same time. This produces a great improvement in depth perception.

How do owls see in the dark?

Owl eyes have large lenses close to the back part of eye (the retina). These large lenses let in more light to reach the retina compared with other animals or humans, helping them to see better at night. The eyes take up about half the volume of an owl skull and they can also rotate their head up to 270° allowing them to see their prey at different distances even in the dark.

Do owls have great hearing?

Because Owls are generally nocturnal, their hearing is highly developed and sensitive. The ears are located at the sides of the head, behind the eyes, and are covered by the feathers of the facial disc. The asymmetrical ear openings permit sounds to be perceived in only a fraction of a second — allowing them to hear mice under the snow in winter. A very pronounced facial disc will function like a “radar dish”, guiding sounds into the ear openings. What we often think of as ears (those tufts of feathers) are actually just decorative feathers.

Source: Facts and Myths about Owl