The owls are nocturnal birds , which have an enviable, allowing them to view catch their prey easily. They vary both in plumage and colors, distinguishing themselves by being very intelligent and territorial , protecting their nests from other predators.
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If you are interested in learning about the eating habits of these incredible birds, we encourage you to continue reading below.
Owls feeding
Due to their condition as nocturnal animals , it is very difficult for many people to observe them while hunting, since they prefer to take advantage of the surprise factor to pounce on their prey .
This is something that distinguishes them from other birds, and that is that owls do not feed on carrion , preferring live and whole prey , to be able to tear them apart with their powerful beaks.
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Their diet is based on rodents, fish, insects, amphibians, reptiles, and birds . They are actually opportunistic animals , hunting any prey without preference, no matter how small, as they may consider catching it for later consumption.
To highlight the digestion of the owl , which is not like that of other birds, since they directly ingest the food without going through the usual digestion process, absorbing all the proteins and expelling after about 10 hours what is not useful. like bones.
Characteristics of owls
In addition to their large eyes, owls have a characteristic that differentiates them from their cousins, the owls ; it is a plumage that stands out above its head , simulating ears.
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The eyes of owls , although they have excellent vision, cannot turn like those of other animals, being unable to look sideways . To compensate for this, they can twist their neck in an incredibly flexible way, twisting it up to 270 degrees .
As for their reproduction period , it is usually in spring , once the males seduce the females with their dances and food, they begin to procreate, laying between 3-4 eggs , or up to 14 in the periods of more activity .
Once the eggs are incubated, it takes about 30 days for the chicks to hatch , dying those that take the longest to hatch or being eaten by other chicks. To keep them well fed, the father goes out to look for food up to ten times a day .
Natural predators of owls
Luckily for them, not many animals can attack them, due in part to their nocturnal nature and that at most, there would be certain larger birds such as eagles or hawks and even other larger owls .