The Fascinating World of Owls

The challenge is for a short piece of fiction, so you could do just fine knowing nothing about owls. In fact, you could write “I was thinking about a barn owl, when suddenly…” and then write any story you wanted. But what fun would that be?

The first thing you need to know about barn owls is, they are beautiful birds. They have a presence. It’s hard not to stop and take notice. Maybe it’s their heart-shaped face or piercing eyes. And of course, the feathers are unique with stunning colors. I have a special fondness for different animals; I love bears, tigers, elephants, and birds of prey.

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Barn owls are only one type of owl. There are many others. Barn Owl, Barred Owl, Boreal Owl, Burrowing Owl, Eastern Screech Owl, Elf Owl, Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, Flammulated Owl, Great Gray Owl, Great Horned Owl, Long-Eared Owl, Northern Hawk Owl, Northern Pygmy Owl, Northern Saw-Whet Owl, Short-Eared Owl, Snowy Owl, Spotted Owl, Western Screech Owl, Whiskered Screech Owl. That is just in the United States and Canada.

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Considered a friend of farmers; A Barn Owl’s favorite food comprises mice and voles. They hunt them at night using their incredible hearing. They slowly glide over a field, making almost no sound, head pointed down, listening for their prey. Claws out, they strike quickly, one less vole digging holes in your yard. The best part, they are not done, they will eat around four small rodents each night. If you have ever had a vole problem, you will set aside how cute the little guys are and join me in celebrating the circle of life.

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Barn owls have a life span of about five years, but 75% die in the first year before they fully develop the hunting skills they need to survive. In captivity they can live up to 25 years — it’s illegal in the United States to have an owl in captivity without a special license.

They mate for life and are monogamous. However, if one dies, they will find a new partner. They will have one or two clutches a year with anywhere from two to nine owlets for each clutch.

Predators of the barn owl include racoons, eagles, large hawks, and other owls such as the great horned owl. However, most deaths are caused by starvation.

Barn owls are common and can be found throughout the world. It is likely the most numerous of all raptors.

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Some other owls include the Great Horned Owl. Like the Barn Owl, it hunts rodents, but being a larger bird, it also hunts rabbits and squirrels. It makes many distinct sounds. It can bark, rattle, growl, whoop, and hoot. The horns have nothing to do with hearing — although like the Barn Owl, their hearing is excellent — the horns are camouflage, it helps them blend in with the trees.

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The Burrowing Owl, as you might have guessed, are ground-nesting, living exclusively underground.

They are light brown with yellow eyes. The size of a robin they have a weight of around 1/3 pound.

They have a tough life, badger, skunks, and weasels prey on their young chicks and eggs. The adults have to watch out for dogs and cats and other birds of prey.

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They list the Northern Spotted Owl as a threaten species. The primary cause is loss of habitat. It lives in Washington, Oregon, and California. It is a medium-sized, dark brown owl, with a barred tail.

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We cannot forget the Snowy Owl. It is the heaviest and most powerful of the North American owls. This is because of the large amount of feathers it needs to stay warm in the artic environment.

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That is just a few facts about the fascinating lives of owls. I hope you use this challenge to become more aware of these incredible birds. It will be interesting to see what great short stories are produced using our friend the barn owl as a prompt.

All images used are from the public domain, unless noted otherwise.

I write mostly short stores which can be found on my profile.