The first owl to appear in the fossil record as far as we can determine so far was found in Wyoming. At nearly 60 million years of age, this petrified specimen was easily recognizable as an owl. It’s just incredible how nature – evolution – exploits every possibility to create new species as soon as a niche appears. Small mammals began to succeed and along comes our owls to prey upon them.

Owls, too, become prey to larger owls, even today, and to other birds of prey if the situation ever arises. Their nestlings – known musically as owlets – are subject to attack from other predatorily birds, mammals and snakes.

Among the Kikuyu of Kenya it was believed that owls were harbingers of death. If one saw an owl or heard its hoot, someone was going to die. In general, owls are viewed as harbingers of bad luck, ill health, or death. The belief is widespread even today. Although I think that seeing Hooters, even in Kenya, is still okay.

The Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus), also known as the Tiger Owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an adaptable bird with a vast range and is the most widely distributed true owl in the Americas.

A special characteristic of the owl which aids in their nocturnal prey capture is their eyesight. Owls are part of a small group of birds that live nocturnally, but do not use echolocation to guide them in flight in low-light situations.

Owls are known for their disproportionally large eyes in comparison to their skull. An apparent consequence of the evolution of an absolutely large eye in a relatively small skull is that the eye of the owl has become tubular in shape.

Since the eyes are fixed into these sclerotic tubes, they are unable to move the eyes in any direction. Instead of moving their eyes, owls swivel their head to visualize their surroundings. Owls’ heads are capable of swiveling through an angle of approximately 270°, easily enabling them to see behind them without relocating the torso. This ability keeps bodily movement at a minimum and thus reduces the amount of sound the owl makes as it waits for its prey.