Habitant
Owls are birds of prey that are especially adapted for hunting at night. Their large eyes enable them to see well under low light conditions. The eyes face forward in a flat, broad-feathered, "facial disk," not found in other birds. In this way, both eyes see the same object at the same time, providing the bird with binocular vision. Binocular vision enables an owl to judge distances between objects and thus increases the bird's ability to maneuver in a crowded environment. Since the eyes are immovably fixed in their sockets, an owl must turn its head to follow moving objects. A long and flexible neck that allows the owl to turn its head more than 3/4 around aids this motion. Food Chain
All owls are predators, which means they depend on other animals for food. But very few predators feed on owls. In fact, owls often eat other predators, such as weasels, bats, shrews and insect-eating birds. Therefore, owls hold a position at the top of the food chain. Like many predators, they feed from more than one link on the chain or web. Because most species hunt at night, owls feed upon a different group of prey species than raptors that hunt by day. Hares, weasels and many species of mice are more active at night and are exposed to predation at that time. Hawks, eagles and falcons may occasionally take these species in the early mornings or late evenings, but spend most of their time hunting squirrels, grouse, songbirds and other diurnal animals.
Relations
People have traditionally associated owls with the unknown. Seen at night, owls present a foreboding image with their large eyes on a humanlike face staring from the darkness. Owls frequently symbolized death in ancient folklore. In some North American Indian cultures, death is referred to as "crossing the owl's bridge."
In other cultures, owls have represented knowledge. Their human-like "faces" have encouraged people to attribute some of their own intelligence to these birds. This relationship first appeared in Greek mythology where the owl was the emblem of Athene, goddess of wisdom. Today, "wise old owls" often appear in children's stories.
Like many predators, owls have been persecuted as pests. In the past, owls were often killed because they occasionally preyed on domestic fowl. Today, the role of predators in the environment is better understood. Owls actually help farmers by hunting mice that feed on grain in fields. For example, it is estimated that a snowy owl may eat up to 300 mice per month in areas where mice are abundant. The potential losses to crops caused by these rodents outweigh the costs of occasional depredations by owls on poultry. For these reasons owls and all other birds of prey were given full protection under Alberta' Wildlife Act in the mid-1960s.
As with other raptors, it is suspected that the use of pesticides has caused population declines in some species of owls because of their position at the top of the food chain. Small animals, which feed on chemically treated grains or grasses, are in turn eaten by owls, resulting in an accumulation of the toxic chemicals in the tissues of the predatory birds. This accumulation results in lower reproduction with fewer owlets being hatched. Like all wildlife, owls require suitable habitat in which to live. Agricultural and industrial practices that have removed trees, shrubs and fields have also reduced owl populations
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