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Call for questions: OWLS (Patreon)

Published:
2025-08-08 00:32:22
Imported:
2026-06

Content

Screeching with excitement for our upcoming episode on owls! I'll be interviewing a wildlife ecologist who studies the biology and conservation of owls, particularly spotted owls. He's a recently retired professor but he still loves talking passionately about his favorite birds of prey. Leave all your questions on owls in the comments.

Deadline: Monday, August 11 at noon PST

Comments

Andie Corcoran

What are owl pellets? And why do they happen?

Mykenzie King

What does a British owl say? Whom, whom

Matt Hirschl

Ok. How wise are they actually?

Ken Haddad

Why do owls somehow resemble cats? Are they related in any way?!

Shelby-Shnelbers

My 8yo son asks: do they ALWAYS fly? Or do they walk too?

Drew J

Can they turn their head around while flying?

Zed Shirogane

What are the ear tuft thingies called and what is their evolutionary purpose? Why do some owls have these little feathered horns and others don’t?

ValBeListening

What's up with their legs?! Are they bent over or crouching most of the time (hence why those lanky long legs are hidden)?!

carodactyll

Very important: why are owls so wise?

clover.ausrine

If I hold one are they solid or am I holding onto an angry skeleton with feathers? Also are they soft please tell me they're soft

Britt Andrews

Do you think it's plausible that every Mothman sighting ever has just been a big ass owl?

Emma T

Omg I’ve been waiting for this one! Can you ask him how owls turn their heads all the way around? Do they just have insanely flexible joints?

Chrysalis Ashton

I love owls!! What kind of parents are owls? Do the male and female raise the chicks together?

BolognaShoes

My 5 yo needs to know why some are nocturnal and some are diurnal?

Simon Bonisteel

Owls are rare to see. What is the least intrusive way to try and see an owl? Is there a particular place they like to hang out in order to see the "white whale" of birds?

Maddy Julian

How many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop?

Jessica Wardzala

Why do owls vomit up pellets versus digesting and pooping out unwanted parts like mammals do? Is it a leftover evolutionary thing or is there a benefit to doing it that way?

Eve

Who? (sorry not sorry 😂😂😂)

Kate Oldham

First time question asker—how do they make those pellets? Is there a specific organ that separates out the fur/bones to get thrown up? How does it do???

Sarah Green

Is a group of owls actually a parliament or is that just nomenclature

Maddy Julian

Truth or film flam: can they turn their head all the way around??

Ashley K.

Just want to preface that I bought a house on a street referencing an owl and the street name was not insignificant to the purchase. With that, what is it about owls that we always think of them as being wise? Are they actually that smart? Is there anything significant about their brains or how they function that would be considered wise? Thank you!

JENN 'Benthopelagic squirrel' ALVAREZ

What about their feathers make them so silent? A white owl flew at my head once, if I hadn't seen it, id never know it was there.

Sophie Winter

I've seen videos online of owls acting like cats. How behaviorally similar are they really?

Katie Hammond

I was just trying to remember if there had been an episode about owls yet! How did they come to be associated with being wise? How long have there been owls?

Lucas

I don't have a question, just want to say owls are the best

Shelby Bossler

OWLS ARE THE BEST OMG. Wtf allows them to rotate their heads so far around vs other birds or is that a myth?

Jerald Pratt

How do you encourage owls to hang out near your home? I know we have owls in the area but I’d like to know they are around more. Especially to take care of the vaemits

julia_loves_fun_facts

Are owls actually really smart or do we just think that because they are associated with Athena in mythology? Are they the only bird who coughs up pellets? Do they cough up pellets when they are up in trees or closer to ground so that it’s less conspicuous? What is happening in their neck that gives them such amazing rotational range of motion? Do they have less neck flexion extension as a result? What is so unique about their feathers that helps them fly almost silently? Such cool predators!!

Allison Menard

Will owls ever snatch up a dog? We have barred owls in the area and they look pretty darn big. So what sized prey may the pick up if desperate?

Oscar Courchaine

Is the barred owl culling plan enough to protect spotted owls? If it's more of a band-aid measure, what would be an effective long-term solution?

Sarah Green

What owl would you have if you were in the Harry Potter verse

Elta Sparks

How do they turn their heads so far around?? I love them so much

ValBeListening

I live in NYC and like so many New Yorkers was devastated by Flaco's death. I always wondered what if humans stopped using (or severely limited) rodenticide and just let the owls and hawks go at it? Could that be a sustainable way of dealing with an overwhelming number of critters?

Suki Su

Why are owls considered wise? Like the nursery rhyme “wise old owl”

Ken Haddad

Can they really turn their heads all the way around and if so, why did they evolve to be able to do so?

Shelby-Shnelbers

Do owls also poop? And if so, why do both poop and regurgitate? Is it just bc they so tiny and they fly so they need to drop them deuces quicker?

Taylor R

Whooo is the closest owl relative in the animal kingdom? Also when did we start calling a group of owls a parliament ?

Kara

Where does the idea of an owl being “wise” come from? Does the scientist have any favorite folk stories or other media that feature owls? Why haven’t other birds evolved the same silent flying or 270° eyesight as owls? Did owls spread out from one source or are the various owl species around the world a kind of convergent evolution? Why do some have the ear tufts? Why are they just so indignant and regal looking? (Finally, want to shout out the Guardians of Ga’Hoole book series for awakening a love for owls in me as a kid.)

Stratford Abbott

Hello Alie I used to be a naturalist at a state park and I made a program about owls can you chat about how cool owl feathers are and the impact of road collisions and rodenticides on our owl friends.

GoodSoup

How the heck do they do that horror movie head rotation situation??

Jill Burnham

Hi Alie, I will leave this to your expertise to condense into a question that makes sense, but I live in Alaska and we seem to have occasionally a family of owls that might be triangulating at night and calling to each other. I’m curious if families work together to claim a territory. They seem to have a nest, but then in the middle of the night there will be one at the end of our acreage and another one at another point on the acreage calling to each other. Trying to make sense of it.

Jennifer Kratzer

YES! OWLS! I live in Hawaii and was surprised that owls do live here. Do you know how the Pueo got to Hawaii? Anything unique compared to other species?

Mariah Ramsey

Why do Eastern Screech Owls always look like they’re pissed off? Why do owls hoot back to humans? I make a very very bad impression of a Barred Owl call and I always seem to get at least one response. Or does my area just have very trusting owls?

Raja

I'd like to hear about ethical owl photography and if your guest holds knowledge on how to encourage people to recognize the impact their owl photography can potentially have on an owl's health.

Amanda Regan

no questions just SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE. IM SO EXCITED.

Kayla Meyer

how can these little guys turn their heads SO MUCH

Sarah Chaney

Is it true that owls can fly completely silently? And are they really smart? Flimflam or true?

Carter Hawkins

FTQA! Are any owl species considered “keystone predators”, and what is their role (if any) in keeping an ecosystem healthy and functioning?

Pseudonym Jones IV

Do the asymmetric ears really help? Couldn't they just tilt their adorably flexible necks?

Ella Pullman

Why do you think David Lynch was drawn to owls in Twin Peaks as being the beacon of strange happenings?

SoManyQuestions

How can my yard (in the US Mid Atlantic) be most hospitable to owls?

Lorie B

Why are owls associated with both wisdom and death? 🦉

Angela Borman

My neighbors had an owl nest behind their house. Through their telescope, we got to watch momma owl raise her owlet. Such a roller coaster: terrified it was going to fall out during so many storms; nervous when it started learning to fly & mom would be gone for days at a time; and it so so silly! Then one day they were both gone. How long before baby owl reaches maturity and makes a baby of its own?

TC

Have you ever seen an owl fly? They seem to fly nearly silently. Is this because their feathers are different than other birds?

Genesis

I literally squealed when I saw this notification; owls are my favourite animals. What makes an owl "an owl"? Tawny Frogmouths look so similar to an owl, but they're not.

Annalise De Young

How is there so much variation in sizes and shapes and bonus features, but they're all owls? Or are there different families of owls? It seems like a lot more variation than most other bird families.

Jade Greene

(First time question asker) Is it true that they have trouble learning new things after adulthood? What evolutionary advantage is there to not being able to learn more after adulthood? If true, why do you think they got the reputation of being considered wise? Also I was obsessed with owls as a kid and I love that their ears are offset so they can tell location by sound more accurately.

Camille Charlebois

1) Why do their heads swivel so much? 2) What’s the reason for the « horns »?

James Orsatti

What’s going on when a spotted owl skips breeding for years at a time? Is it stress, territory issues, or something else?

Penny Loader

What do you think about the owl defence re the staircase guy (Michael Peterson)? (This was the first episode of Criminal I ever listened to)

Tessa Lew

Every year my family has a great horned owl come to our neighborhood( Richmond, California) but only in the winter. We hear them literally every night in the winter. Where are they the rest of the year? I think it’s two owls. 🦉Thanks!!

ValBeListening

Was going to ask about the relationship between owls and bats and after a quick search found out that owls eat bats ?! Did not know this and truly thought they'd be night friends

Matt Thompson

Why are barred owls so invasive to the Western US?

Tessa Lew

What do different owl sounds mean? If people know, how did they figure it out?

Empress of Smallwood

I hear that barred owls are outcompeting spotted owls in the PNW to the point they are even culling barred owls in some places. They look fairly similar. How closely are they related? What is giving the barred owls such an edge over the spotted owls?

Sean

I know owls sometimes catch things bigger than they can swallow. Do they rip pieces off like other birds of prey or am I underestimating their ability to swallow.

BolognaShoes

And my fella needs to know if there are owls who are bird or fish eaters? Or if they generally eat small furry critters?

Sheathen

First time question asker and bird weirdo. What are some good ways to find owls when birdwatching? Do I just need to know other birders who are in the know? Stalk ebird? I've seen a few in the wild and just need to see more.

Sydonie S.

How far can owls really turn their heads?

Jeremy Alas

I live in Utah and once while camping I looked up into a tree at night and legitimately thought I was seeing the silhouette of a big cat (panthera genus) because I thought I saw ears. That was until I saw the most incredible wingspan. I’m thinking it was great horned owl, but is there another owl or bird I may have seen? PS it literally vanished before my eyes- no sight, no sound at all.

Megan Vaughan

My 10 year old ornithologist (named Corin) wants to know if you study Owls, can you call yourself a Who-ologist?

Jenna U

FTQA! Are owls trainable? Do they blink? How and when do they sleep?

Rise and Read JZ

Besides signing a petition, what can we do to help the burrowing owls in Florida? In general, how are owls being impacted by habitat loss?

Erin Dewberry

As a small child, we "dissected" owl pellets and tried to recreate the skeletons of whatever they ate. Is this sanitary in anyway and should we keep letting 9 year olds play around with owl vomit?

JC

I'M YELLING AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS!!! I have a barn owl tattoo and would love to hear the ologist's knowledge on symbolism surrounding owls in mythology and folk lore. Please please please I need this like air!!!

Ninja Squirrel

I grew up in rural indiana and from time to time my dad would find owl pellets and dissect them to see what the owl ate which was super cool. Why do they make pellets? Do other birds of prey make pellets?

Nicole Robb

How/when did they get SO quiet when flying? Also Why are their long ass legs hidden??

Ninja Squirrel

Yes! I'm wondering the same thing! What differentiates owls from other birds of prey?

Denise Tugade

And how are they even doing that crazy head turning thing without breaking their spines/necks?

Erin Dewberry

If you were going about your normal day, how many owls would you need to see before you thought something was wrong?

Ninja Squirrel

Ohmygosh! Yes please this! I've photographed snowy owls in Washington state and I always rent a lense that allows me to not encroach on them. It drives me crazy when people get too close.

Hailey Bate

Why are owls built like that (re: owl legs)???

Felix Lasselle

I used to know a good owl joke, I can't remember the punchline but it was a hoot.

Vin

Why such long leggies?

Kate Timms

Are there any cool differences between the eyes of owls vs non-nocturnal birds of prey that help them hunt in the dark?

Hailey Bate

i've heard that barn owls have incredible hearing due to asymmetrical ear holes and a satellite dish-shaped face. how do spotted owls compare in that regard?

Kate Timms

Owls are so much more round than other birds of prey. Is there a reason for their rotund shape?

Lauren Cuff

FTQA: why do they swoop down at humans heads? I live in Vancouver BC and there’s a park here where barred owls have been known to dive bomb humans - sometimes even scraping their talons and causing injuries.

Clayton Rudiger

I would also like to hear discussion of the culling plan (and a quick overview of the timber wars would be great as well!). I work in spotted owl conservation and have seen SPOW pairs exiled for years, who move back into their historic territories the season after the barred owls who moved in were removed. But it seems like a huge (and violent) investment with permanent upkeep. Also PLEASE talk about the hybrid sparred owls!! And why can't we let them live???

Melissa Hart

What is the ologist's position on raptor rehabilitation centers and how they keep permanently injured owls on display for the public, sometimes asking them to star in epic flight shows for entire classrooms and scouting troops?

Melissa Deufel

Why are owls nocturnal? And are they truly?

Liz Smith

Do owls really bite the heads off chickens and eat just the chicken brains?

Chris Moore

OMG, OWLS 🦉🦉🦉!!! Please make this a super-long episode ❤️ Question: will you tell us about owls’ weird asymmetrical ears and how that affects their hearing? Thank you!!

Noel Dietz

Do owls mate for life?

Rob Hover

So excited for this! Why are some owl species migratory and some aren’t?

Sirspence

I remember hearing as a kid that there are sort of mnemonics for recognizing owls hooting but all I recall is that one of them was “who cooks for you”. I don’t remember which owl that was. Are there easy ways of recognizing different owls by sound?

Chris Moore

Bumping this one up! Plenty of raptors that easy furries and featheries: what’s the deal? Also, are there any other correlated traits owls evolved with pooping out their mouths that other raptors don’t have?

Rob Hover

Also - do any owl species have waterproof feathers or do they all get soggy and grumpy like Archimedes from Sword in the Stone when it rains?

Reese Perini

Where did the idea of the wise owl come from?😊

SylviaDee

How fast can owls fly?

Molly Logsdon

Finally breaking my silence and asking my first question for my favorite animal😍 so I’ve recently learned, despite cultural associations with wisdom, that owls are actually pretty “dumb” because their skull evolution has favored eye size over brain size—is this true, are they actually less intelligent compared to, say, corvids? Or are their brains maybe just “space efficient”? Also are some species of owls smarter than others? Thank you for doing this episode I’m so excited!! :)

SylviaDee

How big is the biggest owl and how small is the smallest owl?

Hayley

Who cooks for you?

Mary of the Grapefruit

Why are they called a parliament?? What's up with their feathers/wings making them silent when they fly? Can they lick a to the center of a tootsie pop?

James Jakes

Barn owls not real owls? Thoughts about Brennan Lee Mulligan's rant about owls?

Katie Biardi

Best way to see owls? Also, why do barn owls sound like that??

Yuri

There are rodent baits that say they don’t hurt owls, that they dessicate? the mice. Do they really work that way?

Michael in Seattle

No particular questions. Except, perhaps, that remarkable head swivel ...

Michael in Seattle

I respect them as the sacred companion of Pallas Athena and look forward to the discussion..!

Margot Louis

Do they all have ears at different heights on their heads

Anna Beatriz Moraes Pedroso

FTQA: What's up with those owls who live in burrows in the ground? Also, do they nest in trees as well? My university campus here in Brazil has a lot of them

Fiddlehead Fern

First time question asker! Last year, in a tree across the street from my aunt’s house there was a pair of owls raising their chicks in a huge nest that we could watch with binoculars from the house, it was magical. My aunt said the nest used to belong to a different bird (like an osprey or hawk or something, I can’t recall, but we’re in Vermont if that helps). Is that possible? Do some owls reuse nests? Do they steal them? Or is this flim flam?? Thanks!

Bonnie M Rutherford

I'm quite upset with the State of Washington because they plan on killing thousands of barred owls. They claim they are out competing spotted owls but I have both species of owls on my property and they do seem to overlap with each other. 2 years ago I found an injured owl and took it to a wildlife rescue facility. They told me it was a hybrid owl. Apparently the barred owl and the spotted owl can breed with each other. I truly love the owls. I can go out at night and imitate their calls and see who answers. Sometimes up to four different owls will answer me.

Tiedyeislife

Where did owls come from? What evolution chain needed a nocturnal, big or small bird that has 270 neck range, that also puke up there enemy’s remains in a ball and keep snake house keepers ? ( also owls became amazing to me when I first watched Legend of the Guardians The Owls of Ga'Hoole ) IYKYK

Bonnie M Rutherford

In my experience the only owls that have harmed my chickens are great horned owls and they just carried the whole chicken off.

Amy Arugula

Do they also poop from butt or does it all come out of mouth?

Hope

do other raptors make pellets or just owls? what is the benefit of making pellets? also i’ve heard owls aren’t actually that smart, they’re just thought of that way because of nursery rhymes/folklore??

Ron

How far can owls turn their heads in each direction?

Anastasia Press

What's the most interesting thing you've found in an owl pellet?

Nicky G

Very important question: WHOOO?

Anastasia Press

Do the owls who go around visiting classrooms get to fly around when they're not inspiring the youth? I always feel sad for them, but I'm not sure if I need to

Jeffrey Bradshaw

Is attracting owls to your yard a useful tool for rodent control?

Bonnie M Rutherford

How far do owls travel? I live in the Puget sound area of Washington State and in the winter we almost always have snowy owls hanging out here.

Anastasia Press

Physiologically, what makes owls and other birds of prey SO GOOD at seeing?

Melanie Ang

Are domesticated owls happy? How are they able to be kept as pets? Also, how is the owl population doing considering we’re basically on the earth’s sixth extinction?

e-rennebee

first time q!!!!! why why WHY was i forced to dissect an owl pellet and hot glue mouse bones to a piece of paper in grade 7!!?? also what is an owl pellet!?!?!? who is going around and collecting these things for childrens’ science classes!?!

Anna Thompson

Where did barn owls live before barns?

Amy Arugula

Look up "Expression of the Enjoyment of Companionship in the Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)" by Craig T. Perdue and Dwight P. Wynne

Rachel

Ooohh, I love owls. They are so cute, but why do owls have weird faces? Does it help them in terms of catching prey, or flying better, or seeing/hearing better?

Meagan Walker

What’s the best setup for an owl box in an urban/suburban setting?

Amy Arugula

Barred owl is not going to go for your dog. A great horned owl will, but barred owls stay away from great horned owls because GH owls sometimes eat barred owls. So you're probably fine.

Meagan Walker

How big is the prey of the biggest owl, and same for smallest?

Amy Arugula

Did you specifically want to see snowy owls? They like to stop in parking lots while migrating south for the winter.

Margaret Aisenbrey

We had two barred owls hooting at each other at the top of my block. They were flying closer and closer. Were they mating or fighting over territory? Do barred owls mate for life? Are they territorial? Also, why do they leave the heads of their prey?

mish the fish

can they really turn their heads all the way around? why were they tasked (read: burdened) with determining how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop?

Amy Arugula

Is the loss of prairies the main cause of declining barn owl populations?

glittertornado

What's up with owls ears? (And do owls taste good? Not that I would OF COURSE, I'm just curious.)

Lisa Gorman

Why are barred owls outcompeting spotted owls, and is it justifiable to kill the former to protect the latter? It seems insane to me to kill one owl species to help another, but please help me understand what I'm missing about this!

Maggie Hibbetts

What biological evidence is there to support (or disprove!) the age-old myth of owls being wise/a symbol of wisdom? And is one species of owl “smarter” than another?

Kait

🦉OWL be waiting with 🐀BAITed breath for this one!!!!!!

PerryC

I was camping recently in the Oregon Cascade Range. A screech owl flew up behind us and landed in a tree, maybe 50 feet away. It then moved to the tree nearest to us, around 15 feet away on a branch 15~20 feet high. It sat there and watched us for a good few minutes. I saw its mate in a nearby tree and pointed, and the near owl followed my hand exactly, twisting and bobbing its head! It was so cool!! Is that normal? Were they asking for a snack? Should I have offered a snack even though I felt that was VERY wrong to do? I felt honored to be included in its territory.

Wendy Fick

Thank you so much, I love owls! They are the coolest raptors!! Do they have other forms of communication besides their calls (hoots)?

Dave Brewer

There used to be a bar near my house called Parliament Tavern. Their logo was a few owls.

Lisa Gorman

I once saw a great horned owl fledgling alone in the woods and it was the most magical wildlife sighting of my life. Was the mom owl sitting above me unseen, waiting to rip my face off if need be? Or more generally, how long does it take for owls to fledge and how much are their parents involved in that time? When are owl parents done parenting?

Dave Brewer

The owl pellets are sanitized before being sent out in to schools. A college professor of mine (Irwin Slesnik) started the first (at least that I know of) company that sold pellets. He told all his students to stop at barns on the way home from breaks and search for pellets, he paid the students by the pellet. https://window.wwu.edu/irwin-slesnicks-legacy-lives

Lisa Gorman

Wtf is happening with burrowing owls? Why do they burrow and how did they evolve to do this?

Paul Hoffman

Could there be anything more adorable than the "Owls in Towels" webistte (owlsintowels.org)?

Kait

Any conservation progress on minimizing toxins in prey for city owls (or other urban birds and predators?) I’m thinking of how, here in NYC, there’s a pattern of rat poison in our birds of prey and lead fishing gear gets our ducks and geese. Also… does the ologist have any thoughts on the whole rat birth control thing?

Kait

Very interested in the owls as rodent control idea

Kait

Burrowing owls are the cutest!!!!!!!!

JawsThemeSwimming

How are certain owls specialized? Also I want to put up a bat house and have an owl house is that even feasible or will they just get eaten by the owl? Can they coexist?

Chuck Meriam

What is the evolutionary history from dinosaurs to birds to eventually owls, especially in regards to their fascinating eyes?

Alexandra Roth

What's with the head that turns all around, Exorcist-style? Why did that evolve? And why don't other birds of prey have it too?

Dave Brewer

Are owls found on every continent? (I assume Antarctica is a no.) Are there any owls that hunt mainly fish, ore are they pretty much land animal predators? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?

June Bramley

My spouse wants to know how they turn their heads around so much.

Dave Brewer

I’m conflicted by this action. I know the Spotted owls are struggling but I don’t know if killing barred owls is an effective way to help them.

londennoelle

What is different in their wing/ feather structure that makes it fly so quietly vs a noisier bird (ex: pigeon) that creates a ruckus when it flies? Also, my husband would like to know what your favorite kind of owl is and would also like you to know that his is a barn owl.

Dani the dino

One time my friend and I found a burrowing owl sitting on the ground, totally still, 3 feet from a highway. It was there for at least half an hour. Why do they do that??

Dani the dino

How can I make my yard more hospitable to owls? I love them!

CandL

First time question asker 😁 please ask about owl boxes and also if you can have an owl box and if you’ll still get other birds visiting your yard - I know a lot of owls predate on smaller birds

Crittertastic

FTQA: are owls good surrogate parents? I saw where some ducks lay eggs in owl nests and I was floored that they don't get eaten!

Rick T

How much sleep do nocturnal owls get?

Bennett Vanderbosch

Why do you think owls are such a fixture in culture and mythology worldwide?

Eating dog hair for a living

How many different owls are there? What's the smallest? Is the great horned owl the largest? What allows them to turn their heads like they do? How many babies at a time? Does Dad stick around? How long before they're ready to hunt on their own?

Reilly

I heard owls have tubular eyes, are they able to move them at all? How did they end up evolving this trait for good eyesight instead of something similar to an eagle?

RoadLesTravelled

I was stationed in Greece in the big 1970’s when Greek currency was drachma-based. One of the coins featured an owl with huge eyes. Do you know the association with Athena?

Tony Vessels

What are owl pellets? What goes into the process of making one?

Tony Vessels

What makes an owl's flight so silent?

Tony Vessels

What are their fields of vision like if they have fixed eyeballs?

Tony Vessels

How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?

Olivier Calas

What can you tell us about these adorable tiny owls that nest inside cacti in Arizona? Do they also feed on rodents? How can they take desert heat?

EB

How can I make my yard owl-friendly? I love hearing them at night. 🦉

Elie Zwiebel

Do our wise little friends do well in the city? Also how did they come to have the reputation of being wise?

Scotty Dee

Owls' eyes - some are black, some are orange or golden. Are the specific colors for a reason? Also - my vote for favorite owl eyes goes to the Verreaux's Eagle Owl (from Africa) 'cause they have pink eye shadow... really.

Jennifer Grogan

I've heard that owls actually aren't that smart, as birds go, in part because... their eyeballs fill up too much of their skulls for there to be much room for brains? Is that correct?

Iris Hutchings

How much of an impact does rodent poisoning have on owl populations? Is there a way to help them?

Aileen Lands

Can they see color and if so, what parts of the spectrum? I know a lot of nocturnal animals prioritize rods instead of cones, are owls that way?

Karen Seidler

I havet ahavett that frequently sits on my tree branch during the day, or early evening. Is tha T a normal behavior?

Catherine BH

Aaaah I love owls!! How are they so awesome?? Are they as floofy as they seem? What owls are out during daytime? I just heard an eastern screech owl outside so this is so timely!

Aileen Lands

Yes! What is their neck anatomy like that it allows them to turn so far without just dislocating ?

gilliansmith

Why do certain owls have ear tuffs, even though their ears aren’t actually on the top of their head? Why do some owls (barred owl) have pure black eyes that see into your soul, while others like the great horned owl have yellow irises with black pupils?

Talia Dunyak

Is seeing an owl in the day time a bad omen?

Jeff McKee

Are owls really the cats of the bird world? Just little angry feathery bundles of snuggles and hatred? Why do their eyes just seem like they are shocked, seething, or just disappointed 😞

Heathcliff the Cat

Hey! August 4 is International Owl Awareness Day! Did Dad Ward know this when this episode was planned?! For the ologist, what is the best owl and why is it the burrowing owl?

Waldrand

Have you ever heard a fledgling barred owl begging for food? Took us a long time to figure out what was making that noise in the dark all summer long. Kinda spooky. And then the caterwauling of the adults! Thought there were monkeys out in the woods first time we heard that!

Diane

Hoohoo!🦉First time question asker! 1) Do owl boxes even work in suburban yards? Or do they need to be placed a lot higher up/further into more wooded areas to appeal as nesting spots for owls? I would love to have some resident owls as neighbors. 2) I know their beaks are powerful being an apex predator, but what makes their beak click and clack so loud? How do they do that?? 3) How does an owl’s vision compare to a human’s? Is the acuity of owl vision off the charts extraordinary? What sort of colors can they see? 👀 4) A lot of owl populations in North America are declining in numbers. What are some things we can do as individuals to help preserve and protect our owl friends? Thank you so much 🙏 I am really looking forward to this episode!!!

Amesia Doles

I was lucky enough to make eye contact with a Great Horned Owl at the crack of dawn on New Year’s Day this year and it felt like…magic? I have no question, unless it’s “ARE they magic?”

James Morehead

question: When sitting in the backyard of our SF Bay Area home we occasionally see the owl we hear nightly sitting on the top of our neighbors roof. What risk, is any, is there of a swoop + talon scalp grab? Thinking of that series "The Staircase"...

Tobie Tobias

I have heard about people dissecting owl pellets to see the bones inside, which sounds like my kind of party but is this a safe activity?

Tobie Tobias

If we see a baby owl on the ground how do we know if it needs help or if we need to leave it alone?

Meaghan Ratcliffe

can you ask about their ears?? i learned that they’re adapted to be offset to better localize sound at night when vision is low but i don’t quite understand how that actually works lol

Jana Black

I had to become a member so I could ask about owls. This spring a great horned owl couple made a nest in our back yard cottonwood tree. We didn't realize this until we saw 3 baby owls in the tree. They make funny little chirpy noises and caught our attention. We had so much fun watching them every day and night. They also spent a lot of time watching us. We even had little parties so our family and friends could see them. We first saw them May 29th and the last time we saw them was June 22nd. They started as downy little balls of fluff and grew into young owls that flew all around our block. They left feathers and pellets everywhere (and leftovers from their meals). We haven't seen any of them since the family of 5 left. Our question is will they ever return to our tree, and will they remember us? Chuck and Jana in Northern Colorado

Lauren Cooper

How come they have such long legs under all that floof?

Amelia Wilde

Omg I LOVE OWLS!!!!! I had to get a question in on this episode; and my question is how exactly do owls digestive systems work??? I know they have pellets that drop off the “less-digestible” materials like bones or fur, but what exactly is it that goes through their stomach then??? do they poop??? - Love, an owl nerd that desperately needs to know whats up with those funny feathered friends and their guts

Kara

How much are they threatened by light pollution?

Greg Lewis

Is it true that owls can grasp with their talons but not let go? We once saw a Great Horned owl tangled up with a rattlesnake on our hike up a mountain. On the way down it was still tangled up with the rattler, but the owl was dead.😢

Greg Lewis

I've seen owls flying at night - they look like white ghosts and make no sound. How do they do that?

Greg Lewis

We've seen owls almost only at evening twilight. Are they mostly crepuscular animals or are they awake all night? If so, where do they sleep during the day?

Cheyenne

Do bats and owls have beef? I have an owl living in a tree in my yard and when they fly away a group of bats torment it until it either retreats home or goes far away to hunt.

Leila

One of my favorite questions to ask people is how many owls they would need to see in a day to be worried or see it as an ominous sign.. curious what the number of owls would be for you and the ologist!

Leila

To an ecologist, what was the impact that the movie Hoot had on owl conservation? I know it had a huge impact on my little brain when I watched it as a kid

Emily Jeanne

How did owls come to be associated with "wisdom", and are they exceptionally "wise" as far as birds go?

Sydney VanVleet

What along the evolutionary pipeline caused owls to diverge from other birds of prey like eagles and falcons? How did they become a completely different genus?

Bee

I am a huge fan of barn owls, so much so that I have a tattoo of one on my leg. My question is what does the evolution of owls look like? Do we know if they had any distinctive ancient ancestors or are they generally just descended from the same dinosaurs as other birds?

Sara Crocker

What’s up with people who love to collect owls? My mom collected them for decades. Once my kids tried to count them, but lost track when it got to over 340…

Kathleen Carlson

A couple years ago I trail running in winter (February on Vancouver Island) before sunrise and an owl swooped right over us and made contact with my friends head with its wing. We turned around and it followed us, through the tree canopy, for about 500 meters down the trail. We have both barred and great horned owls in the area but it was too dark to see well. What could cause an owl to behave this way? It felt almost defensive.

Elizabeth J

Do all owls have asymmetric ear openings, and how does that asymmetry work with their face shape to improve their auditory sensitivity and accuracy?

Alexandre Catulle

I wanna know everything about Hedwig's mating ritual 😅

fleeby

My sister and I used to bring owl pellets in to the house and carefully pull them apart on the dining room table. We turned out fine...more or less.

Wandering Wyatt

I love owls so much! I know they have uniquely shaped eyes and would love to know more about that.

Lene Olszeth

We went to a hawking centre and they said their owls only vocalized to and for the humans, kind of like cats don't meow for other cats, only humans. Is this true or were they tugging on our cute-strings?

fleeby

The feathers are so soft! Do any other birds have those almost furry flight feathers?

Davin Lopez

Why do owls decapitate their prey?

Shana S

First time question asker: Is it true that owls are "bird hardware with cat software" like the meme?

Jernelle

Can you do an aside all about Salma Hayeks pet owl?

Magda Kossowska

What do Owls say in different languages?

Magda Kossowska

Why do elementary school kids dissect owl pellets? And are they hard to find?

Nathan Marion

How do the biggest, scariest owls compare to the biggest, scariest of the diurnal raptors? Like pound for pound are the owls more physically intimidating for prey? Or less since they hunt at night. Also, what is the most impressive owls species ?

Nathan Marion

How does aerodynamics in their wings and feathers work to make them so silent when flying ?

ariel.vanzandt

Why do owls make pellets? Do other birds of prey do this?

ariel.vanzandt

Globally, where are owls? Are they all over or just certain climates/environments?

Allie Brown

How do I get owls to come to my yard?

Allie Brown

Why are owls feet so fluffy all the way down to their toenails?

ariel.vanzandt

Compared to other birds, how smart are owls?

ariel.vanzandt

Are their eyes really tube shaped? Is that unique from other birds?

ariel.vanzandt

How is the spotted owl population doing? Is there anything folks in urban areas can do to help?

Ruby Gordon

Are they really smarter than other animals?

ariel.vanzandt

Can you explain the ins and outs of owl boxes?

Chris Moore

That’s the Barred Owl ❤️🦉 It’s such a treat to hear!

Alisha Harris

How do habitat changes (like deforestation or urbanization) affect owls? Which species of owl are most adaptable to human-altered environments? How does owl vision compare to human vision?

Marla J

I hear a lot of owls at night with calls coming from different directions. Do they call and respond to each other? I know that not all owls "hoot". Could you give examples of other owl voices. I hear owls at night but rarely see them. Where do they nest? Do the young owls learn to fly at night? In my neighborhood we have owls, bald eagles, hawks, turkey vultures, and kestrels. How territorial are owls with other birds of prey? Do they even care about other birds of prey, or do they just hang out at night with the cool nocturnal animals? How territorial are owls, or does it depend on what kind of owl it is.

Olga Kolesnikova

There are so many videos online of pet owls, is keeping owls as pets ok?

Reuben Eadon

FTQA - How the heck did owls become associated with wisdom, especially in Greece?

theWhollyGhost

What is owl vision like? Are there major differences between species (also since some of them hunt during the day)?

spiderbeetlebee

YESSSSS I can't wait for this episode Ive heard that you can tell when an owl is active (nocturnal, diurnal, crepuscular etc) by the colour of their eyes - is this true or flim flam?

Kaiya Messenger

FTQA- Owls are my favorite animal, and I’ve always wondered why do they do that little dance they do where they look like they are at a disco? And why are they so darn cute doing it?! 😆

Nicole Kleinman

Is there an animated/cartoon owl that represents the best? How about the worst?

Andy Pepper

How dangerous can owls be to humans? (Spoilers) I remember an old ep of the Criminal podcast about how a woman died mysteriously from a blow to the head, and the culprit turned out to be a nesting and territorial owl!

Lauren Kent

Why is it so hard to spot owls? I feel like they're mysterious little guys! I live in the LP of MI and a year or two ago, I was in the UP with my partner, and I swear I saw an owl flying! It looked huge, almost like a human, with little dangly leggies. Do their legs dangle when they fly? Could it have been an owl? It was at night! Sorry for all of the questions!

Clara Thorp

First time question asker! How long do owlets stay with their parents and do they ever stick together after they have flown the nest?

Charlotte Wallis

How did they come to be assiciated with intelligence? I've heard they're actually just cute little dumdums and that it takes ages to train them compared to other birds like Corvidae (e.g. on film sets like Harry Potter)

Kait Sweeney

How effective are owls as hunters in comparison to other raptors?

Jmo

how long have they been around? are they dinosaur birds or did they evolve more recently than that?

Kyla C (KAI-luh, rhymes with Myra or Lyla)

Why are owls so unlike other birds? They’re like the shy alien octopi of the bird world — somehow creepy cute and deadly at the same time while potentially breaking your brain if you ask if they have necks.

Chris Eff

Tell me about their weird little beaks! Seems odd for a carnivore to have such a small, unpronounced face weapon. Is that just a side effect of evolving to have those extra forward facing eyes for hunting prey? Like is it a “hey, it’s not ideal but it still gets the job done” situation? To my eyes, they are like the pugs of the bird world. I love their flat little faces and I would kiss the tops of their round little heads if I wasn’t so fearful of having my eyeball plucked out and eaten.

BolognaShoes

Why are some of them so bad at nest building? The barred owls by my house are like pigeon level bad at it and someone told me recently that great horned owls will take over eagle and red tailed hawk nests.

Melissa Holmes

Do all owls make pellets? Why don’t we find them laying around everywhere?

Louise Miller

Why are Saw-whet owls so silent? Why don’t they use calls like other owls?

Liss Timm

How can I encourage more owls in my area? Or should I assume since I see 1 Great Horned regularly there are more around? I live on the edge of farmland and suburbs of Minneapolis

Liss Timm

Did the owl do it? IYKYK

Brain 🧠 Shenanigans

There’s a video that’s been around for awhile now (i just looked it up it’s from BBC Earth) measuring the volume of birds in flight — they had a pigeon, a hawk, and an owl. The owl flying was completely silent — HOW is this possible?! How can a fella so big be so beautifully quiet? As a fun aside, we have screen owls in the town I live in and I get so excited this time of the year when the owlets leave the nest and are out and about, it’s a fun game to try and spot them in the evening ☺️

Ro Land

Can you tell us anything about owls in folklore and mythology? I think they were considered death omen in Welsh folklore. I'd love to know more about how different cultures view them :)

Emilia Phillips

My backyard is like a park, which means we've had a number of predator bird species move in. Last summer, we had a murder of crows regularly hanging in one tree and an owl—I think it was a Barn Owl?—with a nest and owlets in another. A red-tailed hawk tried to move in but the crows and owl chased it away in some pretty spectacular aerial battles. How many predator bird species can live in a particular range?

Brain 🧠 Shenanigans

I’d love to know if the Ologist can tell us about the folklore of how owls became a symbol for intelligence and wisdom. Plus who doesn’t love an owl wearing glasses?!

Brain 🧠 Shenanigans

How easy is it to find owl pellets? I dissected SO many owl pellets between elementary and high school, how are they supplied for educational purposes? They can’t possibly have owl farms just to supply grumpy teenagers hairballs full of bones can they? 😂

Björn Fredberg

What can I do to attract owls? What do they need in their immediate environment?

Björn Fredberg

My wife Malin wants to know: How far can they turn their head? 360°? Are there any predators eating owls of are they top species?

Brain 🧠 Shenanigans

We’re all familiar with the traditional “whooo” sound, but how the heck did screech owls develop what I can only describe as a cackling banshee? Hearing a screech owl for the first time is SO alarming. Do any other species of owls have such a distinct call?

Björn Fredberg

Can you have pet owls? Is it even legal?

Erica Periandri

What is going on in their necks that allows them to turn their head around so far?

Krawl One

Is removal of barred owls effective for spotted owl management and what is the level of effort required for barred owl removal?

ChickenChomper

Whoot whoot - or rather hoot hoot! I'm so excited for this one! What's the smallest owl? And what other cool nighttime super powers do they have? Obviously their big beautiful eyes and ears, but do they use any other cool senses? Ultraviolet sight?

Jenna Congdon

Why are owls associated with spooky season? They're so dang cute, in my mind they don't fit.

Björn Fredberg

What other raptors are in conflict with owls (for food, territory)? What is more dominant in owls, fight or flight? Who would win in a fight with a bird of similar size?

Chris Pottroff

Why do owls always seem to be judging me?

Jason Lowenthal

This is a silly question, but my five year old likes "talking" to the owls around our house, and tries to mimic their call. They seem to be calling back to her! Is this possible? If so, what might they be trying to communicate? (I guess I could've just asked, "why all the 'hoo-hoo'ing?")

Kai Tone Rossow

Came here to ask the same! Some friends say they are really stupid, so what's really the low down?

RG

Yay! We love owls. Two questions from my almost ten year old: 1) What is lets owls see in the dark? Something in their eyes or brains? 2) Why are they nocturnal? How did that happen?

Sally Warren

People make connections to corvids. How can I make friends with an owl?

Dani Massey

Why do owls and other birds of prey regurgitate pellets? What about their biology prevents them from processing food like other avians such as chickens?

Jane Lowers

Could you comment on owl species outcompeting each other for resources? At what point does an owl species become invasive if it's on its continent of origin?

Susana Amaral

Long time listener! First time question asker because OWLS are the coolest creatures ever. Is there anything I can do to help encourage some owls to come live near me? Nothing would make me happier than hearing some owls at night!! I do live next to large wooded areas so I think this is should be at least possible. Less selfish version of the question: what can we do to help protect the owl population and their habitats???

The Joyful Spitfire

I have so many memories of owls in books and movies but they were always portrayed as villains or antiheroes (Ferngully, Rockadoodle, among others). Why? Owls have always seemed to beautiful to me…

The Joyful Spitfire

Why did that long owl pendant have a choke hold on millennials? And is it coming back to haunt us?

The Joyful Spitfire

Owls in folktales. How far back does it go? Are there any stories that haven’t been popularized that should because of the owl character?

The Joyful Spitfire

How are they so quiet? I’ve only ever seen one in person once and it was beautifully haunting. Had I not been looking at it I would not have known it left the tree and flew into the forest. How is that possible?? Other birds (even other hunters) make sound when they fly.

The Joyful Spitfire

What is the silliest/oddest fact about owls? My favorite might be how they sleep when they are little. So cute.

The Joyful Spitfire

Are owls sociable? Do they gather and discuss “wise old owl” topics like philosophy over a glass of bourbon?

tamalamb

omg so excited for this one!!! yay! Owls are always associated with wisdom or knowledge - how did that happen? are they top percentile in bird intelligence? are they smarter than crows or parrots?? did Winnie the Pooh have unparalleled influence on me to believe this...

Melissa Mark

Owls legs!!! Love this topic:) So what's the deal with owl pellets? Other raptors don't eat their whole prey and puke up all the bony/hairy bits like this- why don't they tear away at their prey's flesh like other raptors?

Channon Koty

What is the smallest owl in the world? Loudest? Where are their legs? Why are their legs?

Melissa Mark

I live in the PNW and volunteer in bird conservation ( bird biologist by training) I'm interested to know what your speaker has to say about the recently approved plans to cull barred owls in order to give spotted owls a fighting chance to recover their populations. Barred owls moved into the Pacific Northwest with colonization and their numbers have expanded as they are compatible with urban environments. A lot of people are against the culling of one species to protect another. I was just curious about his thoughts as a spotted owl expert.

Dr. Primo Delicata, retired organ grinder

Are my cats at risk from hungry owls if they are outside only after dawn and before dusk? Do owls ever hunt during the day? How large a cat could an owl carry away? Thanks!

Allison Clark

I live in a rural area and we surely have owls nearby. How can I help my backyard be a better home for them? We don’t spray any chemicals or anything crazy like that.

Chloe

Hello! Are owl houses truly helpful for owls? Is there a specific type of house that’s best? How can I make my limited yard owl friendly? Thank you :)

Heather Heater

When is the best time to spot an owl in the Pacific Northwest? What signs do we look for to catch a glimpse of them? And…any favorite owl cams they recommend?

Feylin

Do owls mate for life? And how do they choose their partners

Raja

Can all owl species turn one of their toes from front to back to front or just some species? (I saw this demonstrated with a Saw-whet once). Raja pronounced like Papaya (I rhyme with this yummy fruit!).

D.J. Brenner

Rose (age 6): Do owls wake up at sunset? (When in the night do owls wake up and become active?)

The Deal with Animals- Podcast

Those owl legs are blowing my mind! I heard that barres owls are invasive and taking over habitat of the spotted owl. Is this true and is there something we should do about it or just let it happen? What are the ethics here?

RaeBayBay

I would love to know about the “intelligence” of owls (I know intelligence is relative) , in other words, do they have hunting strategies or other behaviors that make them special and unique? In the corvid episode we learned all about crows and how they can recognize a specific human face! Do owls have any special talents like this??

Bahdi_Phat

Which is more important for hunting, vision or hearing?

The Growth Arc

Duncan (17yo) "How big are owls *really* and how much them is just the feathers?"

Daphne

Is there a functional purpose for those adorable ear tufts?

Matt Ceccato

How long is an owl's lifespan? I see them at Raptor shows at both the Georgia and Carolina Renaissance Festivals

Casey Daigle

Is it possible for Great Horned Owlets to drown in the nest from a big rain?

Madeliene Fox

*FTQA* Do Owls ever experience neck cramps?? or Neck Sprains? How does owl poop get so compact? Has the plastic epidemic been contributing to any owl deaths?

Amanda Lask

If fuzzy, flying predator, why so cat-like and adorable??

Kelsey Story

Why are owls the coolest? In more seriousness, what are owl partnerships like? There's a pair of great horned owls in my neighborhood and they're always hanging out on roofs together. Is it true love for life, or just for now? How can I see more of these cool creatures and/or help make my corner of the world better for them?

Amanda Lask

Can you find owls all over the globe?? What about in the southwest??

Jo

Why do they seem SO different from other birds? I often forget that they're all part of the same category

Emily T

Why are they such a hoot?

Colby Evans

How much better is the neck rotation compared to other birds? Why wouldn't it have evolved into more? What was special about their environmental pressures?

Sam Blue

ftqa! in french there’s two words for owls: hiboux for owls with ear tufts and chouette for the kinds without, is there a reason for them? or is it just to be adorable

Sam Blue

ftqa! what’s up with owl pellets??? very yucky i love them

Sam Blue

ftqa! why did they evolve to have their heads spin around instead of moving their eyes like other animals? fun fact when i was little i thought humans had to cut off the owl heads and reattach them so they could move them 360 degrees

Colby Evans

I saw/heard a great comparison video about the noise (and air displacement) they make when they fly - super cool.

Amelia Frank

When I was little we had some baby chickens in the backyard. The temptation of a snack of baby chicks was enough to make a whole horde of owls gather -- their chick-shake brought all the owls to our yard :) But then when the chickens were grown-up and we gave them back to the farmer we borrowed them from (real, I swear, they were not eaten by the owls!) the owls stayed -- the neighborhood is a good one for owls in general and many continue to make my parents' yard their home base. Which is awesome! But how can I achieve the same thing if I am not allowed to have chickens as a sacrifice by my HOA? How can I bring more owls to MY yard? I want them!

Sam Blue

ftqa! bird nerd here!! any techniques to be able to spot more!! i’m from quebec and really excited to try and find a snowy owl this winter!!

Colby Evans

Just heard an American Barn Owl with a very similar screech. Thanks "Merlin Bird ID"

The Other Maya

Can I give a bump to Burrowing Owls and Pigmy Owls? Also how to be a better owl neighbor?

Colby Evans

I have heard that owls will prey on bats... so when hanging a bat house, make sure not to have perches just above

Kate Burnell

Ftqa! We have mice all over my area! Will hanging owl boxes and inviting owls to my yard really help with this? Are the other ways to make my yard a happy owl home? I hear them at night and would love to be welcoming even if they wouldn’t help with the mice

littleboots.caligula

How can i encourage my eastern screech owl to come back year after year? i've loved having it in my backyard this spring/summer

Elisabeth Westner

How are owls related to other bird species? How and when did they diverge from the rest of the birds and from each other? Their body shape is so different from other birds I wonder how it came to be - why are they so round and floofy compared to other birds, especially raptors, who are more streamlined?

Emily Tierney

Long time listener first time caller: why do owls steal hats?

littleboots.caligula

at the farm, there are also three Great Horned Owls within earshot of the house, how big are their territories? are they even territorial?

littleboots.caligula

do they really all have those super long legs under all the feathery fluff?

Miranda Panda

I went to Owl Fest at Tryon Creek a few years back and learned about how Barred Owls are invasive to the PNW because humans planted trees in the middle of the country. I would love if they could talk a little more about that!

Miranda Panda

What is the evolutionary history of owls?

Teresa Gleason

I always thought owls were nocturnal, but I’ve seen great horned owls in trees surveying the surrounding area during the day. I once got to see one of them sitting on a branch with the back half of a rabbit clutched in its talons. Hunting in the day?!

BolognaShoes

they have the BEST name-- plumicorns!

Jessie Crawford

Like a lot of people on this thread, I would love to know how I can affectively attract owls to my property. I live in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. I would also love to understand more about the anatomy of their flight feathers. I have heard some species (or maybe all?) have specialized feathers to decrease the noise they make as they sneak up on prey. Thanks!!

Elisabeth Westner

Asking for my friend Brandi: What kind of studies (or even just anecdotal observations, really) have been done to show what owls can learn (such as complex tasks or math problems or acting deceptively to achieve a goal, etc.)?

Becky Frey

Asking for my two kids: Aldo (10) - What is the fastest owl? Libby (7) - Why do the great horned owls have the little horn tufts?

Key Kiani

I remember seeing that some owls have a quiet flight, where their flapping in virtually silent. How does that even work because aren't they huge? And what implication does this have on our ability to track them or on their survivability in manmade environments?

Han the Bee

I have the impression that Owls are more likely to be solitary then say, crows. Is this true? Do owls ever gather in groups, or do they keep to themselves mostly?

Timbo

How do they not just break their neck?

Arami Farias

Do they yawn? do they sneeze?

Arami Farias

How close can you get to becoming a friend to an owl like you can with crows?

Arami Farias

You know how cat perceives us as weird, big, hairless cats? how do owls perceive us?

Erin Everton

My question: who cooks for you?

GhoulNextDoor

What are the social structure of owls like? Do they have friends? And how do they communicate?

GhoulNextDoor

How can I attract owls native to my area to my yard?

Emma de Carvalho

My friend from Edinburgh is asking: what species is considered to be the most intelligent?

wyswysia

FTQA: I live in a woodsy area but I've only ever heard a great horned owl nearby a handful of times. Is there anything I can do to make the area around me more attractive to owls?

Colby Evans

You can buy them through the googles and they'll come sterilized. I believe they microwave them or something

Jack Walker

How are they so quiet?? I’ve seen the videos of them flying and it’s as silent as can be it’s so cool

Mr. Weevil

can i. give it a little kiss?? perhaps on its little head??

Noway Jose

Hiii, first time question asker here! I live in New Zealand and the indigenous owl, the morepork/ruru, now has some competition from the barn owl who flew over/was introduced over the years from Australia. They're now considered natives to new Zealand/Aotearoa because they've reproduced on the island. My question is, how much of a threat to the morepork and their territory is the barn owl? Or how territorial and aggressive are barn owls? Will they take over? Will they eat mice and rats (invasive pests down here) and so help with conservation without any issues for native birds to nz? How big are the prey they can eat? Stoats? Weasels? Brush tail possums? (other invasive pests)

bug in a rug

Hi so um can you please explain their freakish (in a good way) eyes??? Like, they can see UV light??? and the EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD?!?! AND YOU CAN SEE THEIR EYES THROUGH THEIR FRICKIN EAR HOLES?!?!? WTF?!?! ok thx bye

T Noz

Seems like I used to hear owl call on a regular basis when I was a kid. Now I rarely hear one even though I’m living in a heavily wooded area. How far has the population density decreased in the last couple of decades? Is the rate of decline increasing?

Chris Curious

Why do barn owls act so weird around people?

Mattea Orr

One time an Eastern Screech Owl male guarding his clutch clicked and chased me for several hundred yards, waaaaay beyond where the babies were practicing flying. It almost seemed like the papa owl was having a good time chasing us. One of the highlights of my LIFE. Anyway, do owls do stuff like this because they like it? Do they like to play?

Katie Elmer

(FTQA) my nephews, Leo & Ethan, have several questions about owls: - How many different types of owls are there on Earth? - Do any owls live in the desert? If so, how do they survive? - Do all owls rotate their head three-quarters around? - Do all owls have the same number of stomachs? - Do any owls eat human food?

Whereisapark

What is your favorite owl call? We know the classics like who cooks for you and the great horned owl, but any other good ones? Also my 3 yr old loves owls and we live in the pnw, where and when would be the best place to try to see or hear an owl?

Red Kite

Pretty sure this was proven false and it was actually a fire poker blow to the head and the husband suffocating her.

Red Kite

Yes! Hawks, Falcons, Kestrels, and other do. But there are never none in those— they digest them. The act of doing so is called “casting”

Red Kite

When do owls generally breed and do they migrate like other raptors? Do they kill prey with their feet like hawks or beaks like falcons? Or something else entirely.

Emily Knudsen

How much danger is the poor Spotted Owl in? (And big up-vote for discussing rat poison - both neurotoxins and anticoagulants - but also how to best prevent window strikes?? RIP Flaco)

Tom Boodry

Would putting an owl box on my property reduce the number of small rodents?

Nikki Lorentz

- can they really spin their head all the way around - how do they fly so quietly - should I be worried about the muskrat in my creek if I see a great horned owl - are they really sick if you see them in the daytime - with the spikey jacket small dogs wear really detour an owl

Nikki Lorentz

What’s the weirdest owl out there?

Andy Pepper

😱 I had no idea! I was never a consistent listener so I definitely missed any follow-up.

Batty

I know owls fly silently, and I completely understand why they would evolve that way. Are there other birds that evolved silent flight? If not, why do other birds fly so loudly? Did owls file a patent on silent flight??

floraandthefaun

do they just sit around a bunch? i read that we humans expect birds to fly a lot and great distances, but that e.g. owls sit around a lot to wait for prey or chill. related question: do individual owls tend to have a "favourite tree" that they come back to time and time again? :)

also_ally

Are owls truly as wise as they’re stereotyped to be? How did they get this label?

Adam Foote

Why and how do owls hoot? It's such a different (and cool) sound than other birds!

Lee T.

The ones that sound like a horse whinnying… how and why did that evolve? What’s the purpose of that particular sound?

Sally Warren

First time asking a question!

Lee T.

How many species are there in the United States, and are any endangered? What can we do to protect them?

Faith Stemmler

Yes!!! Owls!! Several questions have I for you.. Do any owls migrate? I heard about the cryptochrome protein in the eyes of owls and other, migratory birds so they can detect the earth's magnetic field in brief flashes. Has the expert studied anything about this??

Michelle

- Why have owls' heads evolved to rotate so far (i.e. what's the evolutionary advantage), and how is it physiologically possible for it to occur. - I've heard (perhaps incorrectly) that when owls attack humans (usually by swooping down on their heads from above) statistical patterns of such attacks indicate they overwhelmingly attack the same area on the head -- just behind the left ear. Is this true? If so, any theories as to why? - What's the top flight speed of the fastest owl (e.g. compared to a peregrine falcon, which I believe are the fastest bird)? - Do owls have any major predators? - Do owls ever hang upside down on a branch, and if so, why?

Lucy Goose

Why has the owl been associated with wisdom? Dates all the way back to the Greek god Athena but what was the thought process?

Aoife

Hi Alie, first time question asker from Ireland. I believe barn owl feathers are not waterproof. Is this the same for other owls, and why is this the case? Is it connected to the silent flight? Thanks a million, learning loads 😁

Sara Rocero

As someone who studies spotted owls, can you demonstrate your spotted owl call?

Sam Brooks

how can they deliver magical mail without any addresses? truly amazing creatures 🤭🦉💌

Sara Rocero

I once heard a talk from Paul Bannick, who observed a great grey owl sleeping with and giving more attention to its underdeveloped owlet. Do any other owl species give particular attention to their underdeveloped young?

Sara Rocero

What’s your opinion of U.S Fish and Wildlife’s barred owl management strategy to cull “invasive” barred owls in the PNW? To me, a more wise decision would be to protect larger swaths of old growth forests from harvesting and allow particular stands to age past 70ish years.

Jazmin Patino

Is it possible to train an owl? Or at least attract them to your yard like you do other birds with birdfeeders and such? My mom has a talent for attracting hummingbirds to her yard but I would love to have an owl make a home nearby too.

Val Curie

Alie, I'd love to know more about this and any other examples of owls using biomagnetism (which also needs its own episode!).

Val Curie

So funny, Batty! Love the owl patent idea.

Gavy

Tell me more about their ears! Are they really asymmetrical? If so is that in all species or just some?

Gavy

What is their closest living relative and what are the main similarities and differences?

Mouse Paxton

I love owls! I accidentally startled one once and it almost flew into my face! Is it true that owl's aren't overly intelligent? I once heard that their eyes take up so much space in their head their brain isn't overly large. Have you ever seen an owl's eyes through its ears? What's the weirdest owl call in your opinion? The best? Why are their legs Like That? How do their necks work??? Why have they evolved silent flight but other birds haven't? Unless some other birds have too??? I once went to one of those raptor presentations and they said their resident Great Horned Owl had been observed putting on a mating display for the lawn mower. Why??

Rae Press

A very silly question about the importance of distinguishing linguistically between owls with or without ear tufts? There are two words in French for owl, 'hibou' (with ear tufts) and 'chouette' (without them). It lives rent free in my head and I'd love to know why this distinction might be important (at least to French speakers!)

Haley K.

How did owls become both a symbol of knowledge and a harbinger of doom when they’re just lil’ goofy guys?

Haley K.

Do owls really like being misted? Do they preen themselves like other birds or is taking a shower really a method of cleaning themselves? (Referencing viral video about the baby “moist owlette” seemingly enjoying a nice misting session.)

Ted Vician

Are owls symbolic of different things in different cultures? In Greek mythology, they’re associated with Athena and wisdom.

Log Lady

Why are The Owls not what they seem?

Jeanette-o-saur

Can we talk about species variety? I saw the tiniest most adorable owl in the woods near my house in Quebec (possibly a saw whet owl?) and almost died of cuteness. I've also seen the wingspread of a great horned owl and holy guacamole! Is the size range even bigger than that? What do their sizes tell us about their lives? What other cool phenotype variety stuff is happening in owl world? Also, growing up in Saskatchewan we had burrowing owls in our pasture. So cute! So tiny! How many burrowing species are there? What other interesting homes do owl species have? Who has the coolest crib? Are all owls nocturnal?

Keely Chavez

I came here to ask this too;, I don’t know if this will be out in spooktober but the pellets are tres macabre

Keely Chavez

My grandmother loved owls. But I have friends who are afraid of them (indigenous cultural), not horror movie stuff). I understand a few cultures feel this way about them, do these beliefs impact various species survival?

Keely Chavez

Is the little owl the least cleverly (but most accurately) named owl? How does diet differ for these tiny ones? Their tiny beak face is even tinier!

Kathleen Sachs

In mythology, owls are supposed to represent wisdom, but I’ve heard rumors from people that rescue owls that they are “dumb as fuck.” Truth or film flam?

Kathleen Sachs

Why is the goddess Athena always depicted with an owl?

Kathleen Sachs

Are owls the cats of the bird world? Truth or film flam?

Kathleen Sachs

I heard from my local wildlife rescue that falconers used to work with owls, but they no longer do so because it stresses out the owl. Like cats, owls are good at hiding stress and illness. Not necessarily so with hawks and falcons. Truth or film flam?

Kathleen Sachs

Are owl cafes ethical? Can the lighting that humans are used to destroy owls’ eyesight over time? Are some species more prone to this than others? In the US, Great Horned Owls call more at night while Barred Owls call more in the day.

Kathleen Sachs

Actually…who cooks for you? Who cooks for you.

Kathleen Sachs

Why are owls always getting harassed by crows?

Robin Norris

Different types of owls nest differently. Some make nests in rafters. Some nest in branches. Some like taking over hollows in dead or dying trees. What are some of the unique ways that some owls nest that we don’t see, or don’t see often, in other birds?

Mollie

Its my understanding that owls can basically glide and move almost silently, how are they so quiet?

Gomez

Thoughts on the Kathleen Peterson Owl theory.

Jacqueline B

Hi! Asking for an Owl rescue friend-

Jacqueline B

Can nest boxes be used for all owls? Also, what is the lifespan of the spotted owl? Thanks!

Clur 🌱

What is some of the folklore that led to owls being perceived as wise or symbols of wisdom? What other meanings have we ascribed to them over the ages?

Donielle

Due to climate change and habitat change, barred owls are naturally expanding their range into northern spotted owl territory. There’s some interesting debates on whether they’re an invasive species and whether or not they should be controlled in order to help the spotted owl? How does this researcher feel about that, and what are his opinions?

Meagan Walker

Are there any other birds that have the owl’s stealth-flying capability?

glen oliff

I'm of the understanding that owls see really well at night, do they also have good hearing? If so, how does their range compare to a human's range of 20-20kHz?

Meagan Walker

I understand that owl’s ears are at different levels to aid precision hearing - is the higher one on the same side in all owls, or in owls of one species?

Jason Lowenthal

How much/often do they eat? What's their metabolism like?

Mary De Aquino

Are anthropogenic threats to owls pretty similar across the globe, or are there specific threats they face in specific geographic regions (for example, due to different cultural practices or environmental conditions)? Sidenote: So excited to hear about owls! Also, just become a patron and stoked to be able to ask my first "listener question" :)

Palytoxin Princess

1) Which species is the fastest owl, which is the slowest? 2) What is the smartest species? How does their intelligence compare to crows - are they able to solve puzzles? 3) What is the range and variety of vocalizations? Is it only "hoot!" ?

Earl of Greymalkin

1) Owls can be a symbol of wisdom, but how smart are they really? Why did they get associated with knowing things? 2) I remember getting to pull apart owl pellets in school for a science lesson. It was great fun to find bits of small mammal skeletons. How do owls make these? Is it like hairballs in cats? How long does it take for the bones to be cleaned off? Do they have any fun, specific microbes in their microbiota that help digest their food? Do other birds make pellets like this? 3) What is the physics behind how quietly they can fly? Are there specific feathers that are altered or all of them? In order to be quiet do they move differently from other birds like pigeons that are rather noisy when taking off? 4) How effective are they as hunters? What is their success rate? How much do they have to catch in a day to support themselves? And what is their technique for killing prey- do they 5) I've heard great horned owls in pairs hoo-hoo-hoo-ing back and forth to each other before. Are they just keeping track of where the other is? Are they having a conversation that's made of the same words again and again? Do they just like singing to each other? 6) When crows harass owls, are they being a-holes or trying to protect nests? Can crows actually win that fight? The owls always seem to just ignore them... 7) Do owl parents have to teach their young how to hunt or other skills, or do they figure it out on their own with a little help from their instincts? 8) When owls get the angry look on their little owl faces that I've seen on social media, what are they actually doing? 9) Are there any red flags in owl content on social media we should know about? 10) Are most owls actually nocturnal? I saw a western screech owl in a tree once at about 3pm, broad daylight. I think we were both surprised to see each other...

Kelly Shaver

Owls are so distinct looking from other raptors. Is there a evolutionary explanation?

Kelly Shaver

What are the biggest man-made threats to owls?

Kelly Shaver

I've been told never to post pictures of owls online without a content warning because of their place in some Native American cultures. Can you speak to that?

Tim Barth

1) Why are all the jokes about spotted owls? No humor love for a great horned owl or a barn owl? 2) Are all owls nocturnal? 3) Are all owls super quiet in flight or is that only some of them? 4) What are their personalities like? Are different kinds of owls very different in personality?

Daniella Napolitano

I’m very excited for this episode! How closely are owl species related to each other? Like are great horned owls closely related to burrowing owls or barn owls? Or are they just lumped together because of biological similarities? Also have you heard the Weebl’s Owls song? It’s a frequent ear worm for me.

Sweet Chili

There’s a pair of great horned owls that live in a tree across the street from me. I think one of them is blind in one eye, because one eye looks normal, and one is completely white. I know you shouldn’t necessarily feed wild animals, but since this one is handicapped, is there anything I could plant or provide in my yard for owls? I already have a pond that the songbirds love, but I’ve never seen the owls around it (I have a camera aimed at it so I can watch for visitors)

Milla Arklay

So happy you’re doing an episode on one of my favourite animals!!! - Thoughts on baby owls sleeping? - How are rat and mice poisons affecting owl populations in both rural and urban areas? - Why on earth can you see their eyes through their ears?!?! - Quick owl species field guide/characteristics that I can use to identify subspecies when I see or hear these boopable birds? - How is climate change affecting them? - Favourite adaptions? - How do their feathers allow for them to become ninjas of the sky?

Kati Smith

Why do turkey hunters use owl calls? I get this so confused you can find me looking for owls by making gobbling noises hiking in the woods. I wish it worked in reverse or would the owl call help me find these feathered friendos?

Fiona Dolphin

I just bought land at the beginning of summer and was delighted to find that barred owls live there! I camp/explore the land a LOT noticed I’ve seen fewer owls as the summer has gone on. Have I scared them away by being there? I feel super bad if that’s the case…

Fiona Dolphin

I’ve seen owls out during the daytime but thought they’re typically nocturnal.. Do owls occasionally hunt in the daytime or did I wake them up by walking around near them?

Fiona Dolphin

Do owls actually give a shit about owl boxes/houses people put out for them?

Ariel Emby

1) what’s your favorite owl story?

Ariel Emby

2) why do owls attack people? At my college there was an owl that was famed for swooping down on students on the night, and it was, truly, terrifying.

Jennifer Lewis

(From my nine year old) do most owl species hoot? Do different owl species have different hoots?

Jennifer Lewis

Do all species of owls have the eye canal (space behind the eyes that you can see by moving part of their face)? Also, how do they keep the eye canal clean?

Adam Definitely Not an Alias

FTQA, but actually asking for Marz (shes way smarter). The shape of the skull and over lying facial structure, is it meant to channel/pick up sound better (like a dish) or aid in directionality somehow? Or is it that the images on Reddit of owls without feathers (kinda cute, kinda weird) are just BS?

Hannah Riedl

Run through their entire anatomy please. Those legs. Their rotating neck. Why is their face flat? Does daylight hurt their dilated eyes?

HazHydro

Are owls generally more intelligent than other birds? How and when did the idea that they are wise come about?

Mark Condon

How do they get away with lacking crops? Why do other birds of prey need them, but not owls? What evolutionary hack do they use to coompensate?

Claire Gebben

So many excellent questions already. I'll just add a request - please keep doing bird episodes!!! They are so fascinating and every species/group has so many fascinating things to learn!!! I'm so excited to hear this one!!!!

Anna Wolf

So many questions oh my god! Out camping & we heard owls conversing last night! Which leads me to my main question, how does their communication work- ie hearing them talk to each other? (last night one owl told the others to stfu) Do they have full conversations with each other? Whatever are they conversing about???

Anna Wolf

Why do some of them burrow? how do they do the neck swivel? why are they seen as a symbol of wisdom? is it because athena? why do they have such awkward legs?

banana_herr

Hi, first time question asker here, and I’m super excited with owls being my favorite animal! Are owls territorial? Regarding juvenile owls and nesting / territory, how do adults manage that relationship as owls grow up? At which point do they tell them to find their own spot and how do they decide where to go?

Diana Dunn

First timer here….We have owls in our rural NE town. We hear them hooting in the evening/night. What is their territorial range? How do they find prey in the deep snow?

CurtisDawg

Why do owls say who? What prompts this? Where and when does this happen? To whom is this directed?

CurtisDawg

The Northern Spotted Owl prompted a huge controversy here in Washington 35 years ago. Do you know of any updates?

Claire Gebben

What are ways we can help support conservation? Are owl boxes helpful for adding habitat?

Katherine

My dad got swooped at and attacked by an owl while on his walk a few days ago. Is this normal? Was it the fact that he’s bald? How frequently and when do owls attack people? (He did get a tetanus shot afterwards and is completely fine, and so is the owl, so all good)

Victoria Hsieh

What’s the strangest fact you’ve learned about owls in your line of work? Why do owls have such brightly colored eyes/how are these evolutionarily advantageous? What’s your favorite type of owl and why?

Sienna

Can you talk about different ways in which conservationists address the issue of invassive owl species and how those decisions are made? Also can you explain the long term planning behind hunting invasive species in order to protect the native species they endanger? For instance, Barred Owls are *aggressively* extending into the range of the endangered Spotted Owl, causing their populations to lower rapidly. To address this, the US Fish and Wildlife approved Barred Owl management through carefully managed hunting. I believe lots of options were considered and attempted before resorting to lethal means. But I wonder how it will play out over time and if the debate is made with interdisciplinary cooperation. Essentially, my question is; how do we ensure that conservation based hunting regulations consider the overall health of an ecosystem? - yikes that's long winded. https://www.fws.gov/project/barred-owl-management

Sienna

Please talk about their perception in detail! I'd love to hear about their auditory ability and associated anatomy and neurology!

rowantree

Yes to this!! Would love to know about their senses and how they differ from ours.

Zoe Anderson

so did we all dissect owl pellets in school? whos idea was that??

Firecat55

they sometimes come into my house! wondering what that's about

Sienna

Can you explain leading edge vertices and how Owls use both their flight feathers and tail feathers in producing lift? How common is this and what kind of birds do we see it in most? If you can get into the nitty gritty Anatomy and physics that would be so coll!! Links! Really cool imagery of Owl's Leading Edge Vortices here!! -> https://fyfluiddynamics.com/2020/02/gliding-birds-get-extra-lift-from-their-tails/ Article reference-> https://pubs.aip.org/aip/pof/article/35/12/121913/2931805/Numerical-study-of-owls-leading-edge-serrations (I'm planning to create a numberism drawing of an owl with morphometric data relating to flight such as wingloading, aspect ratio, wingspan, etc. This is part of an expanding series on the Anatomy of Flight. I've drawn 3 insectivores so far Here is my Tree Swallow -> https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJhUK7MP1bG/?igsh=NGV2cXltMWJldG4w Finished -> https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLFi30SxwnS/?igsh=aGx2d201Njk3cHRj)

Sienna

What's their range? Do they migrate?

Sienna

How complex are Owl calls and vocalizations, and how specific are they to species, populations and individuals?

Sienna

I second this!!! Do ALL the birds!! 💜💜

Sienna

How good are they at problem solving?

Tori McLeod

Hi hi! Long time listener, first time question asker. I’m curious if you have any tips for tracking/spotting owls, specifically for photographic purposes, in an ethical, non-disruptive way. My husband and I are hobby wildlife photographers and would love to capture more images of owls as they’re his favorite animal. What kind of signs should we be looking for? Are there certain times of day that would be better? Tree type/height? Weather? For reference, we live in western Washington and have come across barred owls and great horned owls in the past. Thank you so much!

Tori McLeod

Are they territorial? With each other or other species?

Tori McLeod

I’ve seen a few owls and crows harassing each other in trees before. Do you know what that could be about?

Corinna Bruce

After being persuaded to go to uni to study zoology after binging many ologies episodes, my final year dissertation is going to be around owl pellets and what we can learn about the environment from them. What new science can we learn from owl pellets that we don’t already know?

Sara Kunneman

First time question asker here :) love, love, love your podcast! Now, the question: is the regurgitation of pellets unique to owls? (Fun fact - the literal translation of these from Dutch to English is ‘Owl Balls’.

Ranger France

I work at a nature preserve as a park ranger where we have an area dedicated to restoration called Barn Owl Ridge. Or maybe it's Barred Owl Ridge? But I have only ever seen Great Horned Owls there! This is in North Texas/DFW area. Why are there so many different species of owls that can live in the same region?

Ranger France

Pre-question context: I come across injured owls a lot at work as a park ranger. We really aren't supposed to intervene with the course of nature being a wilderness preserve, but oh well shmowell. On the rare cases we do get the chance to take one to the nearby raptor center, I have the help of the restoration manager and we just get a thick blanket, cover it, grab it, and throw it in a kennel or box. This is hard and hurts both us and the bird. Anyway, here is my question: How can I safely transfer an owl into a carrier? All sources online just say "don't, leave it to professionals" when I am trying to be the professional!

Ranger France

Working in outdoor education, dissecting owl pellets was a favorite program for years, but we can no longer afford to buy all of the owl pellets. Why has the cost of owl pellets gone up so much in recent years?

Ranger France

Why are owls associated with wisdom in some cultures? Also, why are owls associated with death in some cultures?

Ranger France

I know that owl ears are asymmetrical, but if they were symmetrical how would it affect them?

Ranger France

My great-grandmother was absolutely obsessed with owls and the old house is still filled with owl decor everywhere. 2011-2015 fashion had an obsession with owl jewelry and graphic tees. When and what will be the next owl fashion comeback?

Ranger France

How does their digestive system work with the barfing up bones and all?

Ranger France

When driving a 4-wheeler on a farm one night, at the last minute with my headlamp I saw a great horned owl come at my face with claws ablazing. I did get some nasty cuts and a scar on my chin, is this normal behavior? Was it attracted to the light and think my face was prey? It did fly away very quickly when my arms went crazy

Michelle

1. Most threatened species / subspecies? 2. Fate of the spotted owl in the Pacific Northwest? 3. Future of rodenticide bioaccumulation affecting owl populations? 4. Where is the most interesting/innovative conservation work for owls and other raptors happening?

Heather & Kate

Aotearoa (New Zealand) has only one native owl species, the Ruru (morepork). They are tiny and deceptively adorable. Have owl species generally evolved in places with more small mammalian prey? The only mammals in Aotearoa until a few hundred years ago were bats—I’ve always wondered if it was a flying prey vs scurrying prey thing?

Tracy Woodard

A few years ago, my science pal Lauren Polansky was once hired to write bio-acoustic software for a northern spotted owl census where lots of microphones in a forest would triangulate the locations of owls to get an accurate count, though creating a unique signature for a bird might require a computer taking thousands of hours of audio. Are humans still the best at identifying individual owls or is recording software smart enough to do it for us?

Loren Thomas

I live in Northern California and just learned about barn owl boxes in vineyards as a means of natural rodent control. I'm considering building a barn owl box on my semi-rural property, mainly because I LOVE OWL, not for rodent control. But first I'd like to know if the practice is unethical in any way. Are the boxes beneficial to barn owls or is the practice disruptive to wild barn owl behavior / populations? If it's alllll good, what are (safe) ways to attract barn owls to nest in a new box? Or maybe it's an "if I build it they will come," kinda deal.

daniel schmaniel

i've heard that despite being associated with wisdom, they're actually pretty dumb animals: true or flim flam?

Allison Belolan

Do owls mate for life? And how many owlets do they have at once? And while on the topic, who cares for the owlets?

Warlock Fulltime

First timerrrrrr: if you had to be eaten by an owl, which one would you want to get nommed by?

Alexis

first time :) What do owls symbolize in various cultures/traditions? One flew over my car the other night and I thought, WHAT DOES IT MEAN??

Sick and Tylered

First Time, Long time! 1. What's the circumstances that have allowed Barred Owls to expand their range west to new places they aren't historically? 2.What are some of the tactics that ecologist are using to protect Spotted Owls from the Barred Owls that are encroaching west

Judy

I’ve seen some folks who seem to have owls as pets. Grrrr, is this legal? I know, I know, I have an indoor cat but cats always hung out with humans, lots of rats to be had. Owls never did or do. This is my logic line but seriously, are people allowed to keep Owls? And the one with the cute gams in the photos, even she looks like she’s held against her will…. Feeling sad.

Mads

Is it true that the feathered 'ears' that some owls have are called 'plumicorns'?

Quinaultgiants

Can you talk about recent efforts to keep endangered spotted owls from being eaten by barred owls? Is there hope?

Quinaultgiants

Can you talk about spotted owls as a sporanator of truffles?

Sara Sultan

How do I make my property owl friendly? Are owls territorial or can you attract more than one to your area?

Valerie d

When thinking of birds of prey, can you have multiple varieties living in the same Forest. We have a small Forest swampland area behind our home and when we first moved in we had a beautiful owl that lived back there. But lately I've noticed a red tail hawk hanging out on our fence. Does this mean our owl is gone for good now? I loved hearing him outdoors in the evenings.

CozyMoonscape

Are owls harmed by light pollution like (I think) bats are? (First time question :)

CozyMoonscape

Also, how do their feathers work so that they're so quiet when they fly?

Aisling

Why do they look like they are seeing into your soul??

Katie Gateley

Why does my dog (terrier) find owl hoots so much more triggering than a raven or songbird? He hears an owl outside and absolutely loses it!

Clancy Thomas

DO THEY HAVE MAGICAL PROPERTIES?! Why are owls so prevalent in fantasy, witchcraft and folklore?

John Boctor

I'm an amateur birder, but I can not for the life of me spot an owl. What's the best strategies to spot an owl?

valerie miller

are their eyes really tubes, and what's up with their necks rotating

James Thomas

Who is the person with brass balls holding up that horned owl's plumage in the picture? Or is that a stuffed owl? A horned owl's beak could turn an arm into a bowl of linguine with marinara in a heartbeat.

James Thomas

What is the scientific rationale for culling half a million barred owls to protect spotted owls? I understand that the westward movement of barred owls is a threat to the spotted owls but if another species better fills a particular ecological niche, to what lengths should we go to prevent it ... and with what scientific evidence supporting that judgment?

James Thomas

Bird at night. I have great success at the margin of woods and grassland in rural and semi-rural areas. The owls are going where there is abundant small prey. You should too. I put out lounge chairs and stay quiet. I've had owls sweep right over me at frightening proximity. You won't believe how quiet they are. First time scared the crap out of me because it came from behind me.

John Boctor

Thanks! I just need to get out there and do that then. I don't have a lot of wooded area near me. And what is wooded is a park that closes at sunset. I'll have to find something.

Michelle Garthe

I had a friend who was jogging, and an owl landed on her head. She had a ponytail which was bouncing up and down as she ran, and my theory was that owl may have thought that the ponytail was a squirrel tail. Or perhaps it was a territory thing. what do you think?