The Mighty Owl

In Book Club we are enjoying Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien. I read this book when I was in elementary school and loved it. This is the first time I've read it since, and it's just as good today! I am reading it with my boys and it's one of those books that gets a "Read one more chapter!" on a nightly basis.

If you are reading this book with us, you know that we are at the part where Mrs. Frisby makes a courageous trip to visit the wise owl. We'll this got us into a discussion about owls, which led us to this video, which left us all wanting little owl pets. (Don't tell Vamp.)

So incredibly cute. 

Owls are amazing creatures, with their silent feathers and their amazing night vision. They are pretty much the superheroes of the bird world. Plus they are wise... and quite intimidating.

A few interesting facts about owls...

Owls have been around for a long time. Fossil owls have been discovered in deposits dating as far back as the Paleogene Period. They are depicted in cave paintings in France that date back 15,000 to 20,000 years. Owls also appear in Egyptian hieroglyphics.

A group of owls is called a parliament.

Owls can be found on every continent, except Antarctica.

Owls are unable to move their eyes within their sockets to a great extent, which means they must turn their entire head to see in a different direction

Owls can turn their heads as much as 270 degrees.

Owls are farsighted, meaning they can’t see things close to their eyes clearly. 

Owls hunt prey that includes mammals, other birds, reptiles, and insects. They do not have teeth to chew their food, so they swallow their prey whole.

Owls have developed special feather adaptations that enable them to minimize the sound made when flapping their wings. This helps them silently swoop down on their prey at night!

There are 41 species of extinct owls.

Owls are a diverse group of birds, with over 220 species of owls belonging to the Order Strigiformes.