Amazing & Important Owl Facts You Should Know:



1) The plural noun for a grouping of Owls is called a 'parliament'...

2) In Hellenic Mythos the Owl was the familiar mascot of Athena, goddess of wisdom, justice & warfare. Symbolic of the intellect, Owls also represented education...

3) Many different cultures interpreted the Owl as a portent of ill-fortune. Early Christians denigrated Owls for their nocturnal habits and association with pagan learning. Owls survived accusations of Witchcraft to appear as a minor part of the pantheon of contemporary Halloween ritual...

4) In ancient Chinese mythology an Owl and a Tortoise conspire to confound the demi-god Kun in his efforts bring irrigation to the land...

5) In Peter Greenaway's movie 'The Falls' the elusive character Van Hoyden is described as 'The keeper of the Owls in the Amsterdam Zoo'...

6) In Ridley Scott's movie 'Blade Runner' a handsome genetically engineered Owl witnesses Dekkert's introduction to Rachel...

7) Readers of Winnie the Poo recognize that while Owl may be somewhat absent-minded at times, he is one of the few characters in the story possessing basic literacy skills, however imperfect...

8) A striking painting of a Snowy Owl in flight graces the cover of the paperback edition of Ursula LeGuin's epic 'Always Coming Home'...

9) The Snowy Owl also appears on the cover of Canadian neo-objectivist prog power-trio Rush's album 'Fly By Night'...

10) ...As well as on Canadian $50 currency...in the United States, "It's all about the Benjamins..."; while in Canada, "It's all about the Owls..."


11) Owl feathers are fluffier than other bird's feathers: it deadens the sound of flapping so they can fly silently...

12) Whitley Striber interprets a dream of seeing a Barn Owl as representing an encounter with extra-terrestrials...

13) Female Owls are usually larger than Male Owls...

14) Defensive mother Owls have on occasion succeeded in maiming foolish ornithologists attempting to molest their eggs... scientists closely studying owl nests often wear motorcycle helmets...

15) In 1944 the Luftwaffe introduced the FW 'Uhl', an innovative and ungainly night-fighter airplane with an unusual array of radar anntenae mounted on it's nose. In encounters with the allied aircraft it prevailed, but like much experimental Luftwaffe aviation technology it was too late to be truly effective...

16) Owl ears are assymetrical: one ear is larger and set higher upon it's head than the other...

17) Owl horn-like tuft feathers probably help let them recognize each other's silhouette at night...

18) One of the most dramatic appearances of an Owl in Literature occurs in Robert Graves' 'Claudius The God' where a Germanic fortune teller predicts a rapid rise and a sudden fall from power to Herod Agrippa based on the behavior of a portentuous Owl. 'I Claudius' and it's sequel are among my favourite books and I highly recommend you read them if you have a chance...

19) Ed Lear wrote: "The Owl and The Pussycat went to Sea in a Beautiful Pea Green Boat..." One thing which Owls, pussycats, and humans have in common is true binocular vision: depth perception superior to most other creatures...

20) Owl irises are usually yellow (the Barn Owl is one exception). Owls eyeballs tend to be deep and wide, with very highly developed retinas for night vision...

21) Most (not all) Owls are nocturnal: they have evolved that way. Their sensitive retinas tend to be disoriented in bright sunlight, so Owls prefer to avoid daytime activity whenever possible. There are few natural events more disturbing to witness than an unlucky owl chased from it's daytime hiding spot by a murder of crows...

22) Donna Lypchuck wrote in Eye Magazine: "...In a perfect world, the song would go: 'Who let the Owls out? Who? Who?'..."

23) Macrame Owls: In Laura Kikauka's original 'Funny Farm' Art Installation near Flesherton Ontario, the gloomy side gallery over the back shed was the home of a collection of several dozen ghostly macrame Owls. The origins of this odd folk art motif are unknown to me...


24) Owls were the purveyors of vague metaphors in the incomprehensible plot lines of later 'Twin Peaks' episodes...

25) Those inclined towards anthopomorphism would describe the mating habits of the Barn Owl as romantic, as it involves dancing, serenading, little gifts (of small dead animals) and cuddling...

26) There is a modest little bar in Grant's Pass, Oregon called 'The Owl'... When I dropped in for a beer I told the bartender I was from London, Ontario, Canada, and she said: "That's near Stratford, Ontario... I was once attacked by a feral Swan there..."

27) I guess there are Owls in this Harry Potter movie...

28) www.owling.com is a pretty good owl website...

29) This web page was inspired by Thomas Hendry's found-art book project "Owls of the World"... there are currently no images from this document available, but we might get some someday if I get around to borrowing it from Tom and scannin' it...

30) A Rob-style Owl:




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