Chirping Owl #shorts

Owl 🦉
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I come across them frequently while out on walks.
As seen above, an owl is aggressively chirping at me to keep me away from its territory (even though I’m walking on a public sidewalk meant for humans - I’m not intentionally trespassing its home, FYI).
They’ll chirp at me as I’m walking past, minding my business.
I never record them doing this (to avoid upsetting them with the flash), but tonight I did. I thought it’d be nice to share such a beautiful act that happens in nature.

Some facts about owls:

- They’re nocturnal - they become more active at night (to avoid the daytime heat & predators, to mate & to hunt (their prey is generally more readily available & also nocturnal)

- They’re hunted by snakes, squirrels, hawks, eagles, raccoons, foxes, wildcats, etc… (they’re at the high-end of the food chain & thus don’t have many natural predators)

- There are about 250 species of owls, & they live on every continent except for Antarctica

- Their flexible necks allow for 270 degree turns each way

- Sensitive hearing - the feathers on their facial disks (flat, heart shaped face) collect sound, just as a satellite dish collects signals

- Excellent binocular vision - during the night they can see clearly for about a mile with the light of a single candle

- Have very sharp & powerful talons (useful for catching & devouring prey)

- Their vocalizations include: hoot, chirp, whistle, bark, growl, scream, shriek, coo, cry & hiss

- They hoot/vocalize to communicate, express fear, mark territory & keep other species away

- They sleep for about 12-17 hours per day

- The place they rest is called a “roost”, & they do so in a standing position - (they generally roost alone, but some species roost communally)

#nature #owl #bird #strigiformes #raptor #chirp #whistle #hoot #foodchain #nocturnal #night #earth