Owl

For other uses, see Owl (disambiguation).

Owl
Temporal range: Late Paleocene to recent 60–0 Ma
Left column from top, Strigidae: Tawny owl (Strix aluco), Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo), Little owl (Athene noctua), Northern saw-whet owl (Aegolius acadicus). Right column from top, Tytonidae: Barn owl (Tyto alba), Lesser sooty owl (Tyto multipunctata), Tasmanian masked owl (Tyto novaehollandiae castanops), Sri Lanka bay owl (Phodilus assimilis).
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Clade: Telluraves
Order: Strigiformes
Wagler, 1830
Families

Strigidae
Tytonidae
Ogygoptyngidae (fossil)
Palaeoglaucidae (fossil)
Protostrigidae (fossil)
Sophiornithidae (fossil)

      range of all species of owls, combined
Synonyms

Strigidae sensu Sibley & Ahlquist

Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes[1] (/ˈstrɪdʒəfɔːrmiːz/), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers adapted for silent flight. Exceptions include the diurnal northern hawk-owl and the gregarious burrowing owl.

Owls are divided into two families: the true (or typical) owl family, Strigidae, and the barn owl family, Tytonidae.[2] Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish. They are found in all regions of the Earth except the polar ice caps and some remote islands.

A group of owls is called a "parliament".[3]

  1. ^ Cholewiak, Danielle (2003). "Strigiformes". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  2. ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (2022). "Owls". World Bird List Version 12.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  3. ^ Lipton, James (1991). An Exaltation of Larks. Viking. ISBN 978-0-670-30044-0.