I always assumed that owls ate mice, squirrels and rabbits. I now know that some owls eat insects and maybe even a opposum! 😲

What I knew before on owls was, they ate mice, lemons and some small animals.  I was surprised to learn that some owls not in the United States that eat fish and others that eat insects. Also surprising is the Snowy owl eating ducks and the Willow Ptarmigan. What understanding I had of an owl's diet is now increased in what I have learned from this course.

Seeing a Barred Owl eating some rather large insects is something I did not expect, as I just assumed they eat more or less the same sized prey as a Great Horned Owl.

1. I looked up what Great Horned Owls and Barn Owls eat since they are the two owls I commonly see. The Great Horned Owl is the 2nd largest owl in California after the Great Gray Owl, so I shouldn’t have been surprised at the size of the mammals it is able to eat, including rabbits and squirrels, which are everywhere. I am going to be looking at the local cottontails as owl food now. 2. I read an account that claimed 90% of what Barn Owls eat are rodents. It reminded me of when a security guard at a local private university said there were bird boxes for Barn Owls on campus because the owls kept the rat populations down.

I was surprised by how much they rely on hearing. I had never realized their facial disk can change so that they can hear better. Also I thought it interesting that they have to move their head because their eyes are kind of locked into a specific place.

I was supprised to find that some owls eat moths, caterpillars, frogs, and wallabies!

Before looking at owls more closely, I thought that owls ate only rodents. I was surprised to learn about insects being a part of their diet. I would have thought that insects might be too small for owls. I also did not consider that owls (the many species) come in different sizes so it would make sense that the smaller owls might search out smaller prey. Eating fish was unexpected. Even though I watch Osprey every breeding season hunt and eat fish, I don't know why I didn't expect owls to do the same - since they are also raptors.

It shouldn't have surprised me, as practically everything eats fish, but I was surprised to learn owls do too! It was fascinating to learn how their feathers help to make them more stealthy, and learning that feathers can redirect soundwaves for hearing was very cool.

It has been really interesting to learn the characteristics of the owls' feathers, in order to be as much quite as possible, when chasing preys like mice.

Also, I didn't knew that the owls' feet had that special shape that allows them to surround their prey.

The thing that more surprised me was their vision, because I always thought that owls did not have a good vision, I was always convinced that these animals use only their hearing to hunt other animals. In fact, their big eyes allow them to catch as much light as possible even during the darkest nights.

I was surprised that birds, in this case owls,  can eat other birds. And that some owls eat fish.

I am surprised by owls eating fish.  I never considered that some owls did this.

I had read a book about owls and was aware of the importance of hearing, sight and silent flight to locate and capture prey. Hearing is particularly important for the snowy owl where prey can be hidden by snow and in winter when the night-day cycle means almost 24 hours of darkness for prolonged periods. However, I was not aware of the role of feathers in redirecting sound waves to increase hearing accuracy which was fascinating. I enjoyed reading about the different adaptations for different owl species like the number of rods and cones within the retina that links nocturnal owls with higher rods for night vision compared to owls that hunt during the daytime who have more cones. Even the shape of the eye has adapted differently to humans to form a bulb shape allowing for a larger retina given the importance of sight for capturing prey. Many dietary adaptations make sense like the thinner toes in smaller owls to capture small insects while those that capture larger prey have stouter toes. I was curious to know if the feathers on the feet in owls found in hotter climates were important for mating given there wasn’t a need for insulation. I did a quick google search and could not find any evidence. I was also wondering if feathers on feet protect them from scrapes and bites therefore reduce the risk of infection. I saw one or two papers with indicated this was may be true but could not get access to them on google scholar to confirm.

I knew some owls ate fish, but I was surprised that those owls also eat crustaceans! I’m also surprised by the possums, since I thought owls didn’t really eat anything larger than squirrels, but then now I’ve learned about the larger 3-4 kg owls that makes more sense. Still impressive as hunters!

Insects were my only surprise and not sure why.  I think of owls eating small mammals and fish but never thought of insects.

I didn’t know how diverse and in some cases specialized owls’ diets are. The differences in foot anatomy and function were very interesting and it was fun to watch the owls change the shape of their facial discs!

Not really, though I didn't know that some owls eat fish. It makes sense that the owls would have each developed different types of feet for their own unique style of hunting.

I read one of the optional link articles and learned that white barn owls mesmerize voles longer than dark ones giving them an advantage hunting even when the moon was full.  Also thought the facial disc thing was cool

As for prey, was reminded that large owls can eat rather large mammalian prey!

I didn’t realize owls had such varied diets. I was especially surprised to learn about the fish-eating owls. There’s always something new to learn about birds!

It was really interesting to see the facial disks and how they can change them.  One of the pictures the owl looked kind of like an eagle, but it was like he opened his eyes really wide and then he looked like an owl. Very surprising!

I was surprised that there are some types of owls that eat fish. I knew they ate rodents including lemmings, voles, mice, and even rabbits. I enjoyed watching the owl in one of the videos use his hearing to face toward his prey, then once it is close stretch its talons out to grab it. Other parts that I found interesting are about how owls are able to fly silently due to their feather adaptations. I can imagine that would certainly help hear their prey avoid detection.

I knew about their prey but what I found interesting is how the Great Grey Owl finds it under the snow.

I was not surprised by the actual prey, however, I did find it interesting how owls use sound to hunt.   I did not know the function of the facial disk and about the positioning of the ears.

The biggest surprise for me so far was the fact that the Great Gray Owl is such an excellent hunter in the snow.  And by sound, at that.

I was a little surprised to learn about the owls that eat fish! The similarities between their feet and the feet of an Osprey are really interesting. It makes me wonder if these fishing owls also carry their fish in an aerodynamic way like Osprey.