#Burrowing Owls 🦉🦉🦉

[xtruss]

These Matchmakers Will Find You The Perfect Mate—If You’re An Owl

A Small Population of California Burrowing Owls is Getting a Helping Hand When It Comes to Romance—From a Team of Devoted Scientists.

— By Kate Furby | February 14, 2025

Finding a mate isn’t just about love for California Burrowing Owls, it’s about the survival of their species. That's why scientists are getting involved, pairing the birds with the best mate possible to ensure Genetically Diverse Offspring. Photograph By Kevin Lohman

Modern love can be a struggle—even for owls.

February is the beginning of breeding season for a small but growing population of burrowing owls in the San Francisco Bay Area, and also the time that conservation biologists will start releasing optimally paired owls they’ve taken care of all winter.

Dr. Lynne Trulio, Professor of Environmental Studies at San Jose State University, has been studying Western Burrowing Owls (Athenae cunicularia hypogeae) for over 20 years. She and her colleagues have mapped the birds’ homes, sex, and genetics. The aim: to understand the genetics of the population, help juveniles survive the winter, pair them to prevent inbreeding, and preserve and create habitat. It’s all part of a wider research effort called the Bird Genoscape Project which uses AI analysis and genetic material to help track, study, and preserve Western Hemisphere birds.

Trulio has spent countless thousands of hours watching and studying the wild owls, which are typically monogamous, following elaborate courtship displays from males, who swoop, dive, and serve food to impress sometimes nonchalant females. “She'll grab it and just run underground,” says Trulio, adding: “the way they run along the ground is just hilarious.”

By May, their chicks have begun to hatch—and and once they’re old enough, the scientist matchmakers swoop in.

A Burrowing Owlet Peers out from its Burrow. Photograph By Kevin Lohman

In the wild, juvenile owls have a dismal 30 percent survival rate over the winter, but by collecting a number of the young owls in a process called “overwintering,” scientists can significantly increase their survival. They only take juveniles of a certain age from parents who have two or more other offspring. After a health check and quarantine period, the owls spend the winter together in a massive aviary at the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center in Morgan Hill, south of San Jose. It’s an overnight camp vibe for the juveniles. But camp has a second purpose other than keeping the owls safe: it gives the scientists time to study each individual and genetically pair them with their best mate possible just before release.

Using just a feather or a blood sample, collaborating scientist at Colorado State University, Dr. Kristen Ruegg can sequence their genomes. That complete set of DNA for an organism holds all the information that codes for a life, everything from vision to feather color. But it can also be used to understand ancestry, much like the ancestry test can help you understand your health and heritage or how a DNA test will try to guess your dog’s breed. Ruegg can do genetic testing that matches the birds according to which part of their genome needs more diversity, ensuring the most genetically diverse—and thus most likely to succeed—offspring.

Once the scientists have arranged the owls in optimal duos, they release them together into designated burrows, some artificially constructed (due to flooding and urban development, many of the historical natural burrows have been destroyed). Some of the burrows are those dug by local ground squirrels, making the owls much like squatters. And not tidy ones. “ Oh my gosh. They're messy,” says Trulio.

Other housing help for the young couples often includes an enclosure over the burrow to protect the birds from predators such as red-tailed hawks and golden eagles. Burrowing owls have a long evolutionary relationship with the animals of the grasslands—so much so that the young owls, without ever having heard a rattlesnake, do a perfect mimic hiss like a rattlesnake if they’re scared or threatened.

While in the enclosed burrows, researchers will supplementarily feed the birds. The birds almost always stay with their assigned mate, although in a few cases the pair won't produce an egg (sometimes even the best matchmakers can’t pull off their missions).

Burrowing Owls in a Booming Megacity! Built on the flat expanses of the Sonoran Desert, metropolitan Phoenix is growing dramatically as it absorbs farm fields and wild scrublands— terrain favored by burrowing owls. In a unique effort to save the underground nesters, experts and volunteers have relocated hundreds of owls away from encroaching development. Matthew W. Chwastyk, NGM Staff. Sources: Wild at Heart; Cornell Lab of Ornithology; City of Phoenix; USGS; NASA/JPL

“They actually want to stay together. So they stay with one mate for more than one season. That doesn't mean there aren't extra pair matings and stuff like that. They certainly are. But most of the time they stay with one mate,” said Trulio.

So far, the short-term field metrics of success of the arranged owl pairs—including life span, and number of offspring—are not significantly different, and longer term data are needed. But there is one early sign that the matchmaking is paying off. Offspring from these scientifically paired owls have telomeres that are twice as long, according to a 2023 study in Molecular Ecology. Telomeres, the region at the end of a chromosome, protect DNA and shorten as you age. Longer telomeres in humans can indicate a healthier person, and one who has experienced less stress, according to some studies. The owl scientists speculate that the longer telomeres may be an indication of the increased genetic diversity they’ve been aiming for. When populations of animals get too small, the risk of inbreeding and lower genetic diversity has also been linked to a variety of bad outcomes, including a weaker immune system.

This is good news for the Bay Area owls, who’ve been facing both a housing crisis and corresponding shortage of suitable mates. The Western Burrowing Owls are nearing localized extinction because the population has grown so small due to habitat loss and climate change. But, in good news for the owls, last year the California Fish and Game Commission made the Western Burrowing Owl a candidate for becoming a protected species under the California Endangered Species Act.

“If you look at Google Maps at all of these sites, they're surrounded by development. You can see historically they were more open. The owls could nest in these areas and forage in adjacent sites, but now they're being confined to smaller and smaller areas,” said Philip Higgins a wildlife biologist and co-founder of Talon Ecological Research Group, a research and conservation nonprofit collaborating on the project. The conservation science is immensely collaborative, funded by Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency, and involving many other groups in the region.

Originally there was some concern about juveniles in captivity being at a disadvantage for hunting and protection instincts, however, the scientists have found that a captive bred burrowing owl is very capable of catching a wild mouse or understanding that a red-tailed hawk call means to watch the sky and hide underground.

“A pair we released last year…, one day we went out there to check on them. The male was hopping around on the ground. This was in a week of being released. And we couldn't see what he was doing. Then there was a gopher snake, he was attacking the gopher snake, so it wouldn't go down the burrow. So those instincts are very, very strong, at least in burrowing owls,” said Higgins.

The scientists have mapped and banded seven study sites in the Bay area. This effort, coupled with captive breeding and habitat preservation, has led to great success for the owl programs. Once home to as few as 15 owls, the adult population is now nearing 100, with the juvenile population over 200.

For Trulio, it’s one more example of the power of cooperation.

“The matchmaking between our field team and our field work and the genomics team,” she says “produced incredible results that we would never have achieved alone.”

[the-colourful-witch]

December Owl Post🦉💌

💫🎄The Weasley Family Dinner🎄💫

This illustration is December’s Owl Post postcard! December is all about spending time with loved ones, which is why I wanted to illustrate this family scene✨ It’s warm, full and cosy; exactly how I imagine Christmas at the Burrow would feel.

There is no specific place in time in the books for this scene, I just wanted to create this loving scene🧡🥰 They’re happy and together and we deserve that!

As always, you can join the Owl Post Club on my Patreon (link here) and receive this postcard this month! 💌🦉

Shipping is international and included 🌎

I look forward to posting these soon! I've ordered them already, but the holidays come with many extra printing jobs for my usual printer, so I'm crossing my fingers that these will arrive on time this month! If you're looking for something else fun for the holidays, maybe take a look at my Christmas Cards! I have two wonderfully festive sets available on my website:

[walterjenkel]

©photography by Walter Jenkel 2024 🎩🦉 Burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) WALTERJENKEL @WalterJenkel walter_jenkel

“El amor es el alimento del alma, sin él, estamos condenados a la soledad.” “Love is the food of the soul, without it, we are condemned to loneliness.” — Miguel de Unamuno 🪶

[matoitech]

💃📼🦉

burrowing owl warmup i started the other day and finished now.. shrug. i wasnt rly interested in drawing the clothes but i didnt feel like designing the torso LOL

[ask-postcrash-curly]

I was only making an educated guess! I'm as in the dark about your crew as you, sadly. All of us can only really speculate on what's going on with your crew, but knowing that the tilt of the Tuplar caused Daisuke's wounds to reopen…he's probably not allowed to walk. As for Swansea… I don't know how bad his infection is and if he did start going into sepsis, then he'll have a very long road to recovery. He's strong, despite everything that's happened to him. I wish I could promise you that he'll be okay, but I feel like he'll make it. Regardless, he's not fit to walk around at this time to see you. Same with Daisuke.

As for my workplace, uhhh— we have a ton of robots here, but you know…it's a lot cheaper to hire and fire humans than build a machine. My rate is better than what most machines can do, which is why they keep me around. One of my co-workers likes to call me, "T-1000." I never really watched Terminator 2: Judgement Day, but I'll take his word on it. My workplace is doing a ton of maintenance upstairs this week, so we're all underground this week. (I'll miss looking up at the stars. I would love to leave early, but I'm out of paid hours/vacation hours, so I'm stuck here. In hell.)

Working underground reminds me of the humble burrowing owl! Burrowing owls live in underground burrows. Just like most other owl species, they tend to just take over burrows from other animals. They live in grasslands, deserts, and other open habitats, where they hunt mainly insects and rodents. Their numbers have declined sharply with human alteration of their habitat and the decline of prairie dogs and ground squirrels… Unlike most owls in which the female is larger than the male, the sexes of the burrowing owl are the same size. Burrowing owls often stow extra food to ensure an adequate supply during incubation and brooding. When food is plentiful, the birds' underground larders can reach prodigious sizes. The biggest recorded cache had over 200 rodents!

I don't understand why people keep getting weirded out by your eye. We both have similar eye colors. Grayish-blue is not that terrifying. If anything, we should get you some cheap sunglasses for the terrible lighting in your room. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDkOu0b-2kk]

On another note: I wouldn't even bother listening to the pricks that keep filling your head with doubts about Robin. It's clear to me that she loves you as any mother would her son. I like to believe that a mother would do anything for her child, no matter what. You're loved whether you see it or not, but it's there. Clear as crystal, Curly. But…don't take my word for it, you can always ask her yourself, if you truly doubt it. I know she'll keep drilling it into your thick skull till you finally see it. (If Kez talks to you again, tell him that I'm sorry if he heard me yelling. I just wanted to know if he had Cookie Run on his phone and what his favorite cookie was if he does have it.)

I won't be able to talk to you for a bit, trying to beg HR to give me hours again. Hopefully I don't get another fucking asshole who decides at the last moment to MERGE INTO MY BLIND SPOT TO GET ON THE FUCKING OFF-RAMP AND NEARLY HIT MY VEHICLE. I STILL HAVE TO PAY 14000+ CREDITS (roughly 14k USD$) ON THIS THING, PLEASE!!! 🦉💢💢

I'm fine!! I'm sorry you heard that, uh… I love you, Curly. Talk to you soon, yeah?

-🦉🌙 "Luna"

okay. right. i’m sorry.

but he could walk before… he helped anya bring big swans to the airlock… if i count the nights it’s been at least a few days and there was a while where they weren’t turning them off so it’s probably been a week? surely they’re allowed up by now, yeah? i’m not asking for a lengthy visit! i just want to know they’re alive! just a brief check-in from someone, doesn’t even have to be one of them, just anyone to tell me that my crew is okay! please! hypothesizing isn’t enough, i need to know, i need to know! there was so much blood when they brought daisuke in, and swansea, i’ll never forget how quiet he was in those last days. i’ve never seen him like that. not ever. i really thought he was— and i still don’t know if he isn’t. it terrifies me. i haven’t seen any of them since they left the medbay. i miss them and i understand if they don’t feel the same but i just want to know they’re alive.

…mhm. good for you then. that’s… yeah, that’s impressive. im sorry the work’s been so rough…

wow. thank you as always for the owl fact, luna. thank you for always taking time out of your hectic schedule for me. you don’t have to.

mhm. fuck the lights.

…i like the song. thank you.

i know she loves me. that’s not the question. it’s whether she should. for herself. i don’t… i don’t want to hurt her. and i know it hurts her to… hear me like this. she’s going to reassure me again after that last thing, and i’ll believe it, and then it’ll fall apart again and again and again, another and then another, until she stops trying to convince me and realizes i’m right, they’re right, i’m only going to cause her pain. and she’ll feel awful and it’s my fault for making her love me— sorry. sorry, i know that’s shit reasoning. i’m just… my head is bad. don’t think too hard about it. thank you.

good luck. …jeez. glad you’re okay.

you don’t need to apologize for that. you weren’t loud about it. i’m sure you wanted to be. thank you for… i’m sorry i can’t handle mental screaming. it’s annoying. to me, i mean. not just for you. love you. talk soon. if you want.

[ghost-bxrd]

I stumbled upon your Selkie!Jason au and when looking for more on it, I stumbled upon your Talon!Dick au And from what I've read, I got curious. If everyone has their own unique call, what do they sound like? I know in one post I read Wally was the first Titan to get their own call, and I like to imagine and hear what I read. You don't have to answer though.

There’s no real life bird call that comes close to the calls, only approximations. While Dick’s throat has an easier time making bird sounds he’s never been exposed to many species beyond the owls of the Court, so mostly he just… makes them up, adopts the chirrups from older talons, modifies them, and so on.

So I definitely recommend googling some owl (and owlet) calls on YouTube. The sounds Dick makes for Jason are very soft and pitched (a bit like those of a burrowing owl), and Jason in return makes little baby cheeps.

The calls for friends would vary largely depending on their “status” in Dick’s eyes, but they’re all more akin to the hoots of a bigger owl (like the great horned owl).

Sorry it’s pretty hard to describe >.< but yeah, I definitely recommend googling what sounds owls make and imagine a mix of them depending on mood, purpose etc. 💚🦉

[strelasol]

Introducing Uarana a bit here. 🦉

Uarana is an inhabitant of Natlan, more specifically of the Masters of the Night Wind tribe. He is an artist who loves making graffiti, playing the cavaquinho, flying and observing landscapes.

Uarana is constantly traveling around Natlan in search of inspiration and observing saurians, he loves these animals.

He often flies like a bird, some people recognize him from far away in the skies. He has a good skill with the bow, both to defend himself and to fight seriously in challenges, such as the events between the tribes in Natlan.

He's Brazilian 😎 the animal I chose to represent him is the Burrowing Owl "Coruja Buraqueira".

[ladybellpepper]

Owl sona 🦉

If I was an animal sona I’d be an owl, a raggity beat up owl who sits in her burrow all day and reads and goes out at night with her owl pals to party in the forest 🌳

[amber-zeppeli]

*starts trying to fit you into my burrow* I have adopted you. Now you’re an owl 🦉

🥺 I'm an owl now... hoot hoot.......

[void-organism]

#OWLgust 🦉

While most owl species are solitary creatures, some species roost in groups of up to 20 or sometimes even hundreds of individuals! Notable examples include the burrowing owl and long eared owl.

[nirinart]

MurMur the burrowing owl 🦉

My s.o. is currently taking care of a burrowing owl that cannot fly anymore, and it's the angriest and loudest little thing I've seen in my life

did i do her justice? :'D

[demeter1111]

I love burrowing owls. They are so funny. 🦉

"After receiving a tip about a family of Burrowing Owls on the eastern edge of Cheyenne, a photographer rushed to the location in late June. The owlets seemed nearly ready to leave their burrows. Over the years, the photographer has perfected a method using a GoPro on a small tripod, set to take a photo every 5 seconds. They leave the camera behind, allowing the owls to feel comfortable. The challenge lies in the long wait to see if the effort pays off. This shot was taken on June 28th."

📷 Peter Arnold

[spinebuster]

wait, ground + fire + bird? your pokemon self is literally a Phoenix rising from the ashes 🐦‍🔥 or maybe some sort of lava burrowing owl? 🌋🦉

i fuck with the lava burrowing owl . u know i rock with volcanoes

[theburrowsgarden]

Introduction! 🦉

Welcome to The Burrow’s Garden! My name is Amy, and I am a Master’s student with Miami University, Ohio, working towards a degree in biology with a focus on conservation sciences. I am here to tell you everything there is to know about western burrowing owls, and what you could do in your own home garden to help out these lovely little puffballs–maybe even have one move into your own backyard! Backyard-less? Stay tuned, I’ve got something for you, too!

First thing’s first: what is a burrowing owl? Western burrowing owls (scientific name Athene cunicularia hypugaea) are one of two subspecies of burrowing owl found in the United States, the other being their close cousins, the Florida burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia floridana). The western burrowing owl can be found in a range of habitats, from grasslands to urban parks and gardens throughout the western half of North America, from Mexico all the way up to southern Canada!¹ 

Approximate range of western burrowing owls. Credit to The Cornell Lab of Orinthology.

Why would you want one in your yard? First of all: they’re incredibly cute. These little owls weigh about as much as a stick of butter, with brown and tan speckled feathers, lanky legs, and the most stern looking eyebrows a bird can muster. More importantly: they eat all sorts of things we don’t like in our yards. Field mice digging up your grass? They’ve got you covered. Grasshoppers eating your flowers? Not a problem. Caterpillars, beetles, lizards, you name it: insects and small vertebrates are fair game.

Oh my god they’re baby. Credit to Kevin Cole.

What’s the catch? We-e-ell… Despite what their name suggests, burrowing owls don't generally do the digging themselves. Instead, they rely on the burrows of other small critters to call home. Burrowing owl populations have been declining throughout the United States, and the primary drive is thought to be the lack of burrowing rodents.¹ No burrowing rodents, no burrows. No burrows, no owls!

So, what can you do? Learning to co-exist with burrowing rodents plays a major part in making sure that burrowing owls have someplace to call home. And while they may seem annoying at first, burrowing rodents play a major part in nutrient cycling in soil and increasing biodiversity.² Whether your garden is full of ornamentals, native plants, or any combination of the two, having burrowing rodents around can help the ecosystem–and your garden–stay healthy and resilient. While I can’t guarantee that a burrowing owl will come around as your new neighbor, I hope that I can at least make a case for why keeping the peace with some of the critters we may call “pests” can benefit you and your plants in the long run!

Not a gardener? Not a problem! There are tons of other ways you can help burrowing owls from the comfort of your couch. The Burrowing Owl Recovery Program runs Wildwatch Burrowing Owl on Zooniverse, where you can help researchers sort through trail cam photos of western burrowing owls to get a better idea of how many fledglings are born each year and how they behave. And, this is going to sound crazy, you don’t even need to register an account. One less password to worry about.

The types of burrowing owl antics you’ll see on Wildwatch Burrowing Owl. Don’t worry–they’re not dead. It just isn’t their turn with the braincell.

Want to see a burrowing owl in person? I get it, you want a sneak peek of the real deal. Good news: you’ve got plenty of options. You can visit reputable AZA accredited institutions such as the San Diego Zoo, Phoenix Zoo, or Big Bear Zoo and visit their burrowing owl exhibits! If you’re the outdoorsy type, you can connect with your local Audubon chapter and join them for bird watching hikes, habitat restoration, or visit an Audubon-run sanctuary. 

¹Klute, D., Ayers, L., Green, M., Howe, W., Jones, S., Shaffer, J., Sheffield, S., & Zimmerman, T. (2003). Status assessment and conservation plan for the western burrowing owl in the United States. United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/usfwspubs/483

²Davidson, A. D., Detling, J. K., & Brown, J. H. (2012). Ecological roles and conservation challenges of social, burrowing, herbivorous mammals in the world’s grasslands. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 10(9), 477–486. https://doi.org/10.1890/110054

[bamboomix54]

Birds 4K Of The World - Science Relaxation Film With Beautiful Birds.

Welcome, bird enthusiasts and curious minds alike, to a soaring journey through the avian kingdom! 🦜🌟 In this blog post, we'll embark on an exhilarating adventure to discover 63 of the most captivating and diverse birds that grace our skies and inhabit our planet. From the majestic to the quirky, each feathered friend brings its own unique charm and contributes to the vibrant tapestry of our natural world. So, fasten your seatbelts as we take flight into the mesmerizing realm of birds, where colors, songs, and adaptations tell tales of survival and beauty. Join us as we unfold the wings of wonder and delve into the captivating stories behind these enchanting creatures. 🕊️✨

🦅 Bald Eagle

🦆 Mallard

🦉 Owl

🦢 Swan

🦜 Parrot

🦚 Peacock

🦩 Flamingo

🦔 Hedge Sparrow

🦆 Mandarin Duck

🦢 Mute Swan

🦆 Wood Duck

🦉 Barn Owl

🦩 Roseate Spoonbill

🦜 Cockatoo

🦚 Indian Peafowl

🦢 Trumpeter Swan

🦆 Pintail Duck

🦉 Snowy Owl

🦜 Macaw

🦩 Scarlet Ibis

🦚 White Peafowl

🦢 Whooper Swan

🦜 Amazon Parrot

🦆 Teal Duck

🦆 Eider Duck

🦚 Ostrich

🦢 Black Swan

🦩 Shoebill

🦉 Great Horned Owl

🦜 Lovebird

🦢 Coscoroba Swan

🦚 Emu

🦩 Northern Jacana

🦜 Budgerigar

🦉 Snowy Egret

🦆 Harlequin Duck

🦢 Tundra Swan

🦩 Spoonbill

🦉 Burrowing Owl

🦜 Lorikeet

🦚 Cassowary

🦢 Bewick's Swan

🦩 Avocet

🦜 Quaker Parrot

�� Long-eared Owl

🦆 Canvasback Duck

🦚 Secretary Bird

🦢 Andean Flamingo

🦩 Black-necked Swan

🦜 Conure

🦢 Toco Toucan

🦩 Ibexian Crane

🦜 Sun Conure

🦆 Common Eider

🦚 Blue Jay

🦉 Short-eared Owl

🦢 Chilean Flamingo

🦩 Red-crowned Crane

🦜 Eclectus Parrot

🦆 Bufflehead Duck

🦚 Jay

🦢 Greater Flamingo

🦩 Japanese Crane

[decentluck13]

Hard choice 😭 I'm a big fan of the burrowing owls, but we saw a Barred Owl on Rosh Hashanah this last year and it felt like a good sign, so that's my owl of the year. 💕🦉

*Propaganda, fun facts, and owl pics under the cut

BARN OWL:

Last year's winner and our current reigning champion, the Barn Owl is back to defend their title! What makes the Barn Owl so popular? Their haunting face? Their screeching cries? Their vast range - nesting on every continent save Antarctica, vastly increasing their chance of being your local owl? Only you can say! And only you can secure the Barn Owl's victory for another year!

PYGMY OWL:

Meet the pygmy, an owl species so small that they are better called owlets! Don't underestimate these hunters, they're locked in a standing war with the songbirds - the owls swallowing the songbirds up and the songbirds retaliating by mobbing the owls in large flocks.

SNOWY OWL:

Known by many names: the polar owl, white owl, and Arctic owl among them, this is the largest North American owl by weight. Most snowy owls are barred with dark brown markings (like the one pictured here). If you see a pure white owl, it's a sure sign you've found a mature male.

EURASIAN EAGLE OWL:

Swooping in to riotous demand, behold the Eurasian Eagle Owl!

To all those mortally offended by the accidental exclusion of the Eurasian Eagle Owl last year, please accept this offering, of a link to Episode 100 of the very excellent podcast Beyond Blathers, bringing you 48 delightful minutes of Eurasian Eagle Owl facts and stories:

SAW-WHET OWL:

The most common owl in North American forests, the saw-whet owl calls through the evening skies with a high-pitched call like a saw being sharpened on a whet stone - hence the name.

SPECTACLED OWL:

The smart-looking Spectacled Owl makes its home in mature rainforest, though they have been known to venture into the desert for food. You'll know these owls by sight, thanks to their distinctive mask, and by sound, making a vibrating call like someone shaking a thin sheet of metal.

SCREECH OWL:

As the name suggests, you'll hear these owls before you see them, and you might think you're being haunted if you do! You might also be able to track them by their owl pellets - regurgitated packets of undigestable bones, fur, and feathers - littered around their nesting sites.

BARRED OWL:

You'll know Barred Owls when you hear them, calling "Who cooks for you? Who? Who? Who cooks for you?" through the dark of night. Compared to other owls, Barred Owls don't migrate. Fossils of this bird dating back 11,000 years have been found in Ontario

GREAT HORNED OWL:

Also called a tiger owl, a winged tiger, or a tiger of the air, these birds are fierce predators, capable of besting other raptors - including the barred owl. They are so strong, that it takes 28lbs of force to open their claws.

BURROWING OWL:

As the name suggests, these owls prefer nesting in the abandoned burrows of other underground-dwelling animals to roosting in the trees! though their nests may be pre-owned, these owls have been known to decorate with bottle caps and bits of foil or paper. By the same grounded preference, you're more likely to spot one running after its prey than flying, making good use of their long legs.

LONG-EARED OWL:

With a permanent expression of someone who just caught got doing something they're not supposed to, these owls are indeed sneaks, opting to claim nests built by others rather than constructing their own. But for all their sneaky ways, Long Eared Owls are among the friendliest, roosting in groups of up to 150 members.

BLACKISTON'S FISH OWL:

Standing at 70cm tall, the Blakiston's Fish Owl reigns in Northeast Asia as the largest living owl on earth. True to their name, they eat mostly fish and have no trouble diving from the skies in pursuit of a trout, pike, salmon.