OWL
			Phylum: Class: Order: Chordata Aves Strigiformes

Owls are birds of prey which, unlike hawks and falcons, are usually active at night. Because of their nocturnal habits, hooting calls, and silent flight, owls have always been regarded as birds of great mystery. They appear frequently in tales of witchcraft and the supernatural, and were once thought to have the gift of prophecy and unusually high intelligence.

Owls fly almost noiselessly. The long flight feathers of an owl's wings are tipped with down. This deadens the noise of the owl's wing-beats so that their intended prey has no warning of attack. Owls have very acute sight, and the position of their eyes on the front of their flattened faces gives them excellent binocular vision. In addition, experiments have shown that an owl can catch a mouse in a pitch-black room, relying only on its hearing. The owl has well-developed ears, with flaps of skin forming "outer ears," hidden beneath the feathers. The "ear tufts" on the heads of many owls are, in fact, feathers.

Owls range in size from the North American elf owl, which is about 5 inches long (13 cm), to the eagle owl, which reaches a length of about 2 feet (60 cm). Apart from the fairly common barn own, other owls include the snowy owl, the long-eared owl, the short-eared owl, and the barred owl.

Most owls are woodland birds. Some live close to humans, nesting in church towers and old buildings. The burrowing owl of North America lives in burrows on prairies. The snowy owl (a large white bird), lives in the polar regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Owls feed on small mammals - particularly rodents such as mice, voles, rats, and insects, although some species are fish-eaters. Their prey is seized in the powerful talons, torn to pieces with the hooked beak, and swallowed in chunks. Fur, feathers, bones, and other waste which the owl cannot digest, are later spat out in the form of small, neatly wrapped pellets.