Are Owls Nocturnal Understand Wing The Term Night Owl

Owls are fascinating creatures that are named birds of prey.They belong to the same order as hawks, eagles, vultures, and falcons. They are known as apex predators and are fantastic hunters.Owls have a broad head with a facial disc where they have flat feathers making their face look smooth. They defend their territory and catch their prey with their strong feet and sharp talons, which can even break the bones of their prey. They also have feathers that help them fly silently and catch their prey from the ground suddenly. They catch and eat prey anywhere from insects to large birds, even some falcons. The body of a female owl is usually bigger than the body of a male owl. Both the female owls and male owls have hooting calls, but the calls of the males are somewhat deeper in tone than the females. Most owls, like barred owls, barn owls, and great horned owls are nocturnal. Only the northern hawk and the northern pygmy are owls that are diurnal.Read on to find out more and if you like this article, then also check out where do owls live and why do owls hoot?Owls That Are Not NocturnalThere are a lot of species of owls around the world. While most of them are nocturnal, there are a few who aren’t. However, the number of diurnal owls or otherwise is very small.There are about 200-250 known species of owls. Owls live in every country around the world except the frigid continent of Antarctica. They belong to the order of birds of prey, same as hawks and eagles, and these birds are generally great hunters. Most species among all the owl species are nocturnal in nature. That being said, the northern pygmy owl bird and the northern hawk owl bird are the only two owl species that are known to be truly diurnal in nature. There are a few more who can be seen during the daytime, such as burrowing owls and snowy owls, which can be seen during the day at certain times of the year depending on the availability of their prey and the season. Especially, burrowing owls can be seen during daytime many times a year, but they switch to being active during the night when rodents are abundant at that time. There are even some owls who are primarily nocturnal but also hunt around dawn and dusk. This means that these owls, like barn owls, long-eared owls, or short-eared owls, and more are also crepuscular in nature.Not all owls are nocturnal, but most of them are. Some of these birds are evolved in such a way that their anatomy is even seen according to their hunting requirements. They are the basis for the phrase ’night owl’. It’s what we call the people who stay up late at night or all night.Owls And Their Vision During The DayThere is a belief among many people that owls are actually blind during the day, but it’s merely a myth. They can see better in the nighttime hours, but that does not mean that they cannot see during the day.Owls can see during the daytime. They have keen vision. However, their pupils can’t become smaller as humans can, when a bright light hits them. Hence, they can be seen with their lids halfway closed or more to block the light from hitting their eyes. That’s why they frequently look droopy. They also have a condition in their eyes due to which they can see things below them more clearly. This is why even when they keep their eyes halfway closed, they can look for their prey on the ground. Another fascinating thing is, that owls don’t have eyeballs. Their eyes are rather long and tube-shaped. That’s why they can’t move their eyes in their sockets, but what’s even cooler is they can turn their neck and head around three-quarters of a circle or 270 degrees. This helps them see everything around them quite clearly.Most owls are nocturnal and they require their keen night vision more than their ability to see in the light. However, even though they have a few problems seeing in the light, they can still see.Difference Between Nocturnal And Diurnal OwlsThe basic difference between any nocturnal and diurnal animal is, nocturnal animals stay active and hunt mostly during the nighttime hours, whereas diurnal animals stay active and hunt during the day.There are differences in their hunting activities. Most nocturnal owls are purely nocturnal. However, some of them can be seen hunting during the daytime or mainly during dusk and dawn when there’s a scarcity of prey during a specific season, like winter. Whereas, the only two species of diurnal owls, the northern pygmy owl, and the northern hawk owl are seen hunting for their prey purely during daytime. Their anatomy even differs a little from other owls that are nocturnal, which makes them unable to hunt at night. Next up on the list is the difference in their eyes. The cells in the retina of all vertebrates, which help them see better in bright light are called cone cells, and the cells that help them see better in dim light are called rod cells. Nocturnal owls have more rod cells in their eyes than cone cells and diurnal owls have more cone cells in their eyes than rod cells. The position of their ears is also different. All nocturnal owl’s ears are asymmetrical, where one ear is placed higher and at a more forward position than the other. Therefore, when they hear a sound, it reaches one ear before the other. That’s how they determine the distance, and the direction of the sound at night to fly better. Diurnal owls’ ears are rather symmetrical, but they can hear sound almost as well as nocturnal owls.The Nature Of Great Horned OwlsThe great horned owl, similar to burrowing owls, snowy owls, barn owls, or short-eared owls, is primarily nocturnal in nature. However, like many other nocturnal owls, they have also been seen to show crepuscular behavior.Great horned owls mostly live in North America. Other than North America, they can be found in some parts of South America. They are quite common around these parts. You can spot them easily owing to their long tufted feathers that look like ears or horns on the sides of their heads. These owls are primarily nocturnal. They have bigger eyes and pupils compared to their brains, compared to many other owl species. This helps these owls hunt better and be more active at night. However, their eyes can adjust to a flash of light quite quickly. They can constrict their pupils within 176 milliseconds or less if a flash of light hits them. Additionally, they have great hearing abilities and the facial disc feathers on their heads also help steer sound waves into their ears. These help them fly adequately and locate their prey better at night as well. These birds of prey can be seen hunting even larger raptors with the help of their strong and sharp talons.Owls And Other Nocturnal BirdsThe owl is the most popular nocturnal bird. However, they are not the only nocturnal birds. Birds, like nighthawks, poorwills along with other nightjar birds, and oilbirds are purely nocturnal birds.Nighthawks: nighthawks are a group of nightjar birds that are primarily nocturnal, but also can be seen at dawn or dusk. They have such mottled feathers, especially the young ones that they usually stay well camouflaged. They have an electric, ‘peent’ call that can help you recognize them.Poorwills: poorwills are a group of nightjar birds that are nocturnal in nature. However, during the season when nights are extremely cold, and a scarcity of prey appears, because they have less prey to eat, they go into torpor and save their energy until the cold surpasses.Other nightjars: there are about 60-70 species of nightjar birds around the world including nighthawks and poorwills. The special few features of these medium and small birds are they have small feet, short bills, long wings, and are all nocturnal. They all hunt for insects when in flight at night. They are hard to spot even in flight as they are primarily nocturnal and are usually well camouflaged.Oilbirds: oilbirds are the only nocturnal bird species that only eat fruits. They have an extraordinary sense of smell and sight. They are known to have one of the most sensitive sets of eyes that help them when they are in flight at night.There are some other birds who are primarily nocturnal but can be seen at dawn or dusk as well, like black-crowned night herons, brown kiwis, and kakapos.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for are owls nocturnal? Then why not take a look at are owls smart? Or Pacific screech owl facts pages.

Owls are fascinating creatures that are named birds of prey.