page_title: Owl
section_title: Behavior
hierarchical_section_title: Owl / Behavior
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Feder einer Eule vom nahen: rechts unten sieht man den Rand der Feder mit kammförmigen Fortsätzen. Diese verwirbeln die Luft so, daß keine lauten Luftgeräusche entstehen. Eine ähnliche Funktion hat der fellartige Flaum, der auf der Oberfläche der Feder zu sehen ist.English: Part of a feather of an owl
context_page_description: Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes, which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers adapted for silent flight. Exceptions include the diurnal northern hawk-owl and the gregarious burrowing owl.
  Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish. They are found in all regions of the Earth except polar ice caps and some remote islands.
  Owls are divided into two families: the true owl family, Strigidae, and the barn-owl family, Tytonidae.
  A group of owls is called a "parliament".
context_section_description: Most owls are nocturnal, actively hunting their prey in darkness. Several types of owls, however, are crepuscular—active during the twilight hours of dawn and dusk; one example is the pygmy owl (Glaucidium). A few owls are active during the day, also; examples are the burrowing owl (Speotyto cunicularia) and the short-eared owl (Asio flammeus).
  Much of the owls' hunting strategy depends on stealth and surprise. Owls have at least two adaptations that aid them in achieving stealth. First, the dull coloration of their feathers can render them almost invisible under certain conditions. Secondly, serrated edges on the leading edge of owls' remiges muffle an owl's wing beats, allowing an owl's flight to be practically silent. Some fish-eating owls, for which silence has no evolutionary advantage, lack this adaptation.
  An owl's sharp beak and powerful talons allow it to kill its prey before swallowing it whole (if it is not too big). Scientists studying the diets of owls are helped by their habit of regurgitating the indigestible parts of their prey (such as bones, scales, and fur) in the form of pellets. These "owl pellets" are plentiful and easy to interpret, and are often sold by companies to schools for dissection by students as a lesson in biology and ecology.
caption: The serrations on the leading edge of an owl's flight feathers reduce noise
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