Today seems to be the perfect kind of day to share some facts about an amazing creature- the superb owl.
Don't be shy owl lovers, let us fill this thread with fascinating facts about these feathered wonders!
I'll start:
A group of owls is called a parliament. This originates from C.S. Lewis’ description of a meeting of owls in The Chronicles of Narnia.
In India an owl is considered a dumb bird and it is an insult to call someone the son of an owl. I even know how to say it. 
Owls have 14 neck vertebrae, twice as many as quarterbacks, which is why it is so hard to sneak up on them.
Due to their feather structure, they are virtually silent in flight.
Had these little guys all over in my deployed location:
It's an Athen Noctua (little owl). They would hunt at night. Pretty cool little owls.
Crappy pic but it was dusk and all I had was my old phone.
When you get close to any large owl and it looks at you, its super creepy. Scientific fact.
I just bonded with an owl in Farcry Primal. It is my spirit animal. I guess.
When I was a kid, pre-teen, late one afternoon, I was hunkered over in the creek near my grandparent's catching crawdads. While attempting to catch crustaceans I heard a noise above me, and at the moment I looked up to see what it was, all I could see were talons and tail feathers. I was attacked by a Barred Owl. I rocked a shaggy bowl cut hairdo at the time, my assumption is that with me hunkered over, all the owl focused on was my head, and thought I was a shaggy haired snack.
Not sure who was more surprised, me or the owl?
They taste like chicken.
Just Kidding!
I was pheasant hunting a few years ago and walking a tall grassy waterway heading back to the truck at the end of the day.
Had a huge owl, don't know what kind, jump up and take off right over our heads. Had about a 4' plus wingspan. Scared the crap out of all of us.
Have quite a few little guys around our place now. See them in the mornings sometimes when I'm leaving for work, just before sun up.
We have a lot of barred owls around here. Very cool animals.
I've had a breeding pair of Barred Owls around the house for as long as I can remember. They make very distinctive calls back and forth to each other, which can be rather startling when they erupt unexpectedly from a tree right above your head. I'm rather surprised we have any squirrels and chipmunks at all these days.
In reply to ProDarwin :
From the Auduban site:
The eyes of an owl are not true “eyeballs.” Their tube-shaped eyes are completely immobile, providing binocular vision which fully focuses on their prey and boosts depth perception.
And must also have the ability to peer deep into one’s soul. 
02Pilot said:I've had a breeding pair of Barred Owls around the house for as long as I can remember. They make very distinctive calls back and forth to each other, which can be rather startling when they erupt unexpectedly from a tree right above your head. I'm rather surprised we have any squirrels and chipmunks at all these days.
You're not even kidding. I still remember the first week we lived in this house. I was 100% positive someone was being murdered in our back yard. I was such a city girl then.
Who?
Most of my knowledge of owls was learned from this.
We had an owl in the woods behind our house once, with a screech that sounded EXACTLY like a woman screaming in distress. So much in fact, that my wife and I went searching with flashlights. It was SUPER creepy and I never want to hear that again. Be in heat somewhere else ya darn owl!
I saw a barred owl standing on the shoulder in driving rain. He was not a happy owl, so I stopped. One eye swollen shut. He knew he was in trouble and did not fuss when I put him in the back seat. Brought hik to a wildlife rescue center and they said he made a full recovery.
Owls are cool..
Years ago I almost collided with a flying owl while mountain biking at night. He missed my helmet by less than a foot. The owl was at least 2 + feet tip to tip and perfectly silent.
We have a great horned owl in our vicinity. I’ve heard him calling in the night and at first I thought it was a dog. I really expected a more “rounded” sound I guess, but their call is pretty percussive. Between that guy and the two hawks I’m also surprised there are any small animals left around here.
Had an eleven pound male Tabby cat that came in one morning with a wound at the base of his neck(clean), the size of a number two pencil........can you say talon??? They(owls) haven't been back for a few years....miss the hoots.
paranoid_android said:In reply to ProDarwin :
From the Auduban site:
The eyes of an owl are not true “eyeballs.” Their tube-shaped eyes are completely immobile, providing binocular vision which fully focuses on their prey and boosts depth perception.
And must also have the ability to peer deep into one’s soul.
The eyes are the windows of your face.
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