Who Knew?

Although there are exceptions, in general an owl’s eye color indicates when they are most active.

• BLACK/BROWN - Nocturnal

• ORANGE - Dusk and dawn

• YELLOW - Diurnal

• There are 254 owl species worldwide.

• An owl’s pupils can expand to nearly the full size of their eyes, allowing them to gather as much light as possible for excellent night vision.

• A group of owls is called a parliament.

• While owls can’t move their eyes, they can rotate their heads up to 270 degrees, thanks to a unique skeletal structure with 14 neck vertebrae.

• Ear tufts are used for communication and camouflage, not for hearing.

• Many owl species have asymmetrical ears to help triangulate sounds coming from above and below.

• Owls are zygodactyl, meaning their feet have two toes facing forward and two facing backward. What sets them apart from other zygodactyl birds is their ability to rotate one of the backward-facing toes forward, providing better grip and stability when walking.