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Eyesight is a particular characteristic of the owl that aids in nocturnal prey capture. Owls are part of a small group of birds that live nocturnally, but do not use echolocation to guide them in flight in low-light situations. Owls are known for their disproportionally large eyes in comparison to their skulls.
Great horned and barred owls compete with spotted owls for food and space in some areas. Barred owls have a negative effect on northern spotted owl survival and fecundity. [4] There are also negative effects when Barred owls live in the same area as Spotted Owls. [20] Spotted owls are nocturnal, sit-and-wait predators. They often hunt from a ...
Considering the owls' large size, nests with open access are preferred to those enclosed with surrounding branches. Like all owls, great horned owls do not build their own nest. Great horned owls tend to examine an area for an abandoned nest, generally from larger birds like hawks, and take over the nest for raising their own young. [179]
Although burrowing owls often live close to ground squirrels (Marmotini), they rarely prey upon them. They also hunt bats. [ 23 ] An analysis of burrowing owl diets in the Dominican Republic found the owls consumed ~53% invertebrates, ~28% other birds, ~15% reptiles, ~3% amphibians, and 1% mammals.
Discreet habitat preferences may coincidentally spare many owls, as owls from the genera Strix, Glaucidium, Aegolius and the 320 g (11 oz) northern hawk-owl (Surnia ulula) tend to restrict both nesting and their hunting forays to more enclosed areas of woodland than habitats inhabited by the eagle-owls.
Tawny and brown fish owls are both slightly smaller than co-occurring Eurasian eagle-owls, and Blakiston's fish owls are similar or slightly larger than co-occurring large northern eagle-owls. Fish owls, being tied to the edges of fresh water, where they hunt mainly fish and crabs, also have slightly differing, and more narrow, habitat preferences.
Screech owls hunt from perches in semiopen landscapes. They prefer areas that contain old trees with hollows; these are home to their prey, which includes insects, reptiles, small mammals such as bats and mice, and small birds. Screech owls have a good sense of hearing, which helps them locate their prey in any habitat.
Cross sectioned great grey owl specimen showing the extent of the body plumage, Zoological Museum, Copenhagen Skeleton of a Strigidae owl. While typical owls (hereafter referred to simply as owls) vary greatly in size, with the smallest species, the elf owl, being a hundredth the size of the largest, the Eurasian eagle-owl and Blakiston's fish owl, owls generally share an extremely similar ...