(CNN) — Superb Owl (Magnificent owl, in Spanish). No, wait, Super Bowl.
Too late.
Instead of information about the Super Bowl, all it takes is one small typo and your search results are filled with content about owls. And we would like to encourage you to lean into that error. Because owls are truly “magnificent.”
These birds are far removed from the world of American football, but over the years the trend has gained significant popularity. So much so that many people flood the internet with photos of owls before the Super Bowl every year.
This internet phenomenon puts these feathery creatures in the spotlight, which ultimately helps raise awareness, says Matt Williams, conservation director for The Nature Conservancy’s Indiana division.
“Anything that helps spread the message about the importance of conservation is good,” he said.
A cold-blooded predator
Owls are quite interesting. Some people think they are innocent balls of fluff, but that couldn’t be further from the truth, according to Williams.
“Owls are voracious predators that hunt primarily at night and use a very acute sense of hearing to locate their prey,” he explained in an email.
Its disc-shaped face directs sound toward your ears, allowing you to hear quieter noises, Williams said. Their feathers are designed to be almost completely silent when flying, a useful trick for sneaking up on prey, he added.
Most owls are content to feast on small mammals such as mice and shrews, said Seth Magle, director of the Urban Wildlife Institute at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
Some larger owls, such as great horned owlthey may capture rabbits, skunks or even other owls, Williams said.
See an owl in the wild
Your experience with owls doesn’t have to be limited to the internet. Communities across the United States organize educational events about these nocturnal animals that include a nature walk.
He Leslie Science & Nature Center of Ann Arbor, Michigan, will host an owl event Sunday morning. The center will have resident owls on display, and people will be able to dissect the owls’ pellets, which are the undigested parts of their food that they regurgitate.
Why not venture outdoors this weekend to meet these fascinating creatures? It will be fun.
Now meet some magnificent owls
There are over 250 species of owls, and we would like to introduce you to some of our favorites.
The great gray owl shuns the traditional hoot and opts for a low-pitched “hoo.”
Many people believe that all owls make a hooting noise, but that is not the case. He great gray owl It doesn’t hoot, Williams said, but rather makes a series of low-pitched “hoos.”
The short-eared owl chooses a variety of landscapes to make its home.
He short eared owl It can be found in grasslands and wetlands, unlike most other owls that live in forests, Williams said.
If you’re hoping to hear an owl hoot, keep an eye out for the barred owl.
Los barred owls They are very vocal birds that can often be heard making the traditional hooting noise, said Charles Eldermire, head of the Bird Cams project at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.
When you think of an owl with bright eyes and a stunning face, you probably think of the great horned owl.
Los great horned owls They are known for their iconic ear tufts and cat-like eyes, Eldermire explains. You can watch what happens at the nest of a pair of great horned owls near Savannah, Georgia, on a live camera.
The burrowing owl marches to the beat of its own drum.
He burrowing owl It lives its life unlike most owls. Instead of being active at night and living in trees, this bird spends the day awake and makes its home on the ground, Magle said.
2024-02-09 22:39:00
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