Owl Fact of the Month
• In the beginning of The Capture, baby Soren finds himself grounded, pushed out of the nest by his evil older brother.  
  
  In nature, owlets often find themselves grounded in the process of testing their wings.  Many young birds lose their footing during these first explorations and fall to the ground. A grounded chick may look lost and vulnerable, but chances are, its parents know exactly where it is, and will continue to feed and care for it. Also, many young birds are quite capable of climbing back into their tree using their beaks and talons.
  
  If you find a grounded owlet, don't panic.  If the chick is not obviously injured, or in immediate danger from vehicles, people or predators, the best thing to do is just walk away quietly and let nature take its course.
  
  
• The word Owl comes from the Old English word ule, meaning, “to howl”, referring to the sound an owl makes.
  
  
• It’s believed that there are about 140 different kinds of owls living around the world.
  
  
• There are two different types of owls. Owls with a round face are Strigidae (STRI-juh-dee) Owls. Owls with heart shaped faces are Tytonidae (Tie-TON-ih-dee) Owls.
  
  
• The smallest owl is the elf owl. It is 5 inches (12.5 cm) long.
  
  
• The largest owl is the great gray owl. It is 33 inches (82.5 cm) long.
  
  
• The male owl is usually smaller than the female.
  
  
• Owls have very flexible necks that allow them to turn almost all the way around. Owls can even turn their heads upside down.
  
  
• Owls usually swallow their food whole, head first. When an animal is too big to swallow, the owl shreds it with its beak.
  
  
• Owls cannot chew or grind their food. They cough up what they can’t digest in pellets. The pellets usually contain fur and bones from their prey.
  
  
• Large owls live longer than small owls.
  
  
• Owls are raptors. Raptors are birds of prey, meaning they are hunters that eat meat.
  
  
• Most owls are nocturnal (knock-TURN-ul) and hunt at night.
  
  
•  An Owls eyes are about the size of a human eyes. Owls can change the focus of their eyes and see great distances.
  
  
• At night the pupils of owls eyes get bigger. This allows more light to enter their eyes, giving them incredibly good vision at night.
  
  
• In many owls one ear is higher than the other. The higher ear hears sounds from above, and the lower ear hears sounds from below.