The snowy owl was first spotted on Jan. 3, and has since been seen at Union Station, the National Postal Museum, Senate buildings, and Capitol Police headquarters, The Associated Press reported.
To read more on this story, click here: Rare snowy owl seen flying over Washington, D.C.
The barn owls, who found a spot in the trees where they began showing their affections to each other, are not a mating pair but sisters. The moment was captured by Leslie Arnott. 'They are quite hard conditions in the dark woodland and the pair flew for a while before sharing their special moment.' said Leslie. 'They started rubbing heads and getting quite affectionate. Then came the moment they appeared to kiss each other.
'They 'kissed' twice. 'They certainly looked like they tried to kiss but I guess we will never know for sure. 'These owls are very affectionate towards each other and work well together however they are not a breeding pair they are actually sisters. 'They continued their tender behaviour towards one another for around three minutes but the kissing happened twice within that period. 'It was luck as much as skill to catch the split second moment and I'm very glad I did.' said photographer.
Ghostly pale and normally strictly nocturnal, Barn Owls are silent predators of the night world. Lanky, with a whitish face, chest, and belly, and buffy upperparts, this owl roosts in hidden, quiet places during the day. By night, they hunt on buoyant wingbeats in open fields and meadows. You can find them by listening for their eerie, raspy calls, quite unlike the hoots of other owls. Despite a worldwide distribution, Barn Owls are declining in parts of their range due to habitat loss.
Barn Owls swallow their prey whole—skin, bones, and all. About twice a day, they cough up pellets instead of passing all that material through their digestive tracts. The pellets make a great record of what the owls have eaten, and scientists study them to learn more about the owls and the ecosystems they live in. Up to 46 different races of the Barn Owl have been described worldwide. The North American form is the largest, weighing more than twice as much as the smallest race from the Galapagos Islands.
Barn Owl females are somewhat showier than males. She has a more reddish and more heavily spotted chest. The spots may indicate the quality of the female. Heavily spotted females get fewer parasitic flies and may be more resistant to parasites and diseases. The spots may also stimulate the male to help more at the nest. In an experiment where some females' spots were removed, their mates fed their nestlings less often than for females whose spots were left alone. The Barn Owl has excellent low-light vision, and can easily find prey at night by sight. But its ability to locate prey by sound alone is the best of any animal that has ever been tested. It can catch mice in complete darkness in the lab, or hidden by vegetation or snow out in the real world. The oldest known North American Barn Owl lived in Ohio and was at least 15 years, 5 months old.
Video: An Introduction to the Barn Owl
Launched in 2015 by a pair of professional photographers who wished to promote wildlife conservation through humor, the Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards received over 7,000 entries from around the world this year, and 42 of those submissions have been selected as finalists. 10% of the net revenue from this year’s awards will be donated to the charity Save Wild Orangutans.
To read more on this story, click here: 23 of the Funniest Finalists in the 2021 Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards
“The owl perked up its ears and was very alert, staring in my direction,” she said. “It became clear that it was alert because a Northern Harrier was fast approaching, and this owl wanted to protect its meal. The owl flew up just as the harrier got very close, and this is the resulting image. The owl successfully scared the harrier off its meal this day.”
One of our judges, founding editor Eldon Greij, noted: “I can’t imagine the odds of actually seeing this behavior.”
To read more in this story, click here: 2021 BirdWatching Photography Awards first place: Short-eared Owl and Northern Harrier
Miraculously, the young owls do this all while resting on a tree branch. And they don’t fall off, thanks in part to the strength of their back toe called the hallux. The hallux tethers the creature to the branch and it won’t move until the owlet bends its leg.
To read more on this story, click here: Baby Owls Sleep Face Down Because Their Heads Are Too Heavy
Myth: Felines and canines are colorblind
Although it was long believed that our furry companions had limited vision and only saw certain colors, it’s not the case. Cats and dogs have much better color eyesight than we thought. Both can see shades of blue and green. In fact, cats have way more light-sensing cells or rods in their eyes than humans do, and that’s why they can see better in low-light situations. Of course that doesn’t explain why they sometimes act that way they do.
To read more on this story, click here: 27 “Facts” About Animals You Have All Wrong
