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.

No, but I had not realized how diverse their foot morphology was until now.  Great lesson and presentation to tie the prey types with the appearance of the feet and talons.

The Powerful Owl eating Flying Foxes and Wallabies was a surprise.

As I am familiar with different owls of Africa and I have already encountered some of them hunting different pray by adaptation to their habitat, I found no surprise.  But, I have to say those special species of fishing and fish owls hunting fish as their pray are extraordinary!!!

I was lucky to go on an owl prowl at night in Seward Park, Seattle. We heard 2 types of owls but didn’t see any. Our park guide took us to the base of a butcher tree & dissected some owl pellets which were remarkable. The contents were mostly indigestible parts of mice & voles so I was really surprised to hear about fish eating owls & also the primarily insect diets of the smallest owls.

The biggest surprise was the size of their potential prey, especially for the large owl species.  I was not surprised to see diversity, when I think about the presence of different species in many very different habitats.

I learned about fish owls a few months ago, when I read Owls of the Eastern Ice: A Quest to Find and Save the World's Largest Owl by Jonathan C. Slaght. This book was really interesting and included a lot of amazing photos of Blakiston's fish owls; I definitely recommend it to anyone interested in owls!

I didn't know that some owls eat insects- very cool fact!

I'm not really surprised, as I already had a general idea of what owls ate, even the fish owls as I had read a book on them. However, I still found the slides interesting because they covered owl species that I don't know well and enjoyed learning more about them.

I was definitely surprised by fish (I didn't expect it to be part of any owl's diet), immediately followed by possums (I didn't think owls could eat prey that large).

I had never heard of fish owls before, it was surprising that certain types of owls eat fish! They would need to rely on their eyes over their ears. I had also never considered that larger owls might consume insects or arachnids. (I wonder what the pellets of an owl appear like when they consume invertebrates or amphibians)

I think I was most surprised by insects. I'm pretty new to birding, and I don't think I had considered the diet of smaller owls before.

how big the prey can. be. Also that they eat beetles

The variety of their diets is amazing. Probably why some owls are so successful. I am surprised at how many eat insects. Owls are such an important part of our ecosystem!

I didn't know that owls eat moths、fish and beetles!

I didn't know that owls eat moths!

I was not surprised that large owls, such as the Cape Eagle-Owl and the Powerful Owl hunted mammals rather than smaller prey, but I was surprised that a small owl, such as the Northern Pygmy-Owl, was a skilled predator of birds and small mammals.

Did not know some owls ate fish. I have watched vet shows and am amazed at the ratcheting grip of these birds that allow them to hang onto heavy prey.

Yes! I had no idea there were species of owls that specialize in eating fish.