Owls can not turn their head completely around in a circle. Extra vertebrae in their necks permit the owl to rotate up to 270 degrees in both directions. The ear tufts on the Great Horned Owl and the Eastern Screech Owl are really not ears. These feathers act as camouflage by breaking up an owl's outline. Owls use their hearing to help find prey.
Barn owls can find a mouse by listening to it rustle across the ground.
A pair of barn owls with young make an even larger dent in the rodent population. Most owls lay their eggs in early spring. Owls do not build their own nest. Depending on the type of owl it may use an old crows nest, hawk nest, woodpecker hole or hollowed out tree. Owl feathers are very soft, this helps them make less noise as they fly.