Origin
The group of Owls, clearly delimited and easily recognizable, is often divided into two distinct families: Tytonidae and Strigidae. It can be found in many habitats, but most often in mountainous regions, coniferous forests, steppes and adjacent areas.
Represented by numerous genera, they are spread over the entire surface of the Earth. The name nocturnal birds of prey characterizes their way of life.
The two families to which they belong have a number of common characteristics: hooked beak, provided with a waxy shell, strong, muscular legs with long claws, skeletal conformation; characteristics that have developed only convergently, based on the similar way of living.
Owl or buha is a name given to several species of bird in the family Strigidae (Strigids), order Strigiformes.
The most famous in Romania is the Owl, big owl or Buha, scientifically called Bubo bubo.
Feeding The Owl
Food, of an exclusively animal nature (mammals: mice, chitorans, birds, insects) is captured at night or on the insert, Owls relying on their ability to detect the faintest sounds and on the accuracy with which they locate their prey.
Highly developed hearing is doubled by good vision; the Owls ' eyes are so large that they can barely move in their orbits. Some owls hunt during the day, especially when they have cubs to care for.
In fact, of the 135 extant species, only 50 are truly nocturnal, most of them hunting at dusk.
Food is ingested in large pieces with fur and bones. Their digestive juices can only process the soft nutrient parts. So Owls regurgitate the bones, beaks, claws, fur, etc.of swallowed animals or insects, in the form of lumps.
To pass more easily, the lumps are formed so that the hard parts are in the center, and the fur and feathers on the outside and are covered by a thin layer of mucus.
Depending on the content of these lumps can be established the species to which the owl belongs (the lumps of the Little Owl, eg., they contain mostly insects, and those of the Red Owl, as well as small mammal species found in the region.
Features Owl
The owl has relatively large dimensions, reaching over 70 cm and 180 cm wingspan. It is an impressive bird that has given rise to many stories and legends. It hunts only at night, flying noiselessly, at distances of up to 15 km from the nest, therefore covering approx. 700 sq km.
However, the density of these birds can be much higher, if there is enough food. Like the populations of foxes and wild cats, the population of owls depends directly on the populations of rodents (mice, rats, rabbits, muskrats, etc.).
When needed, it also feeds on insects. Widespread in Eurasia and Northern Africa, buha is found in our country especially in the Danube floodplain and plain areas, richer in rodents.
The soft plumage of owls in addition to allowing them a noiseless flight, it is also an excellent listening device. The tightly gathered, heart-shaped feather disc on the face of a barn owl, e.g., it is intended to capture sounds, which are then transmitted to the ears buried under the feathers on both sides of the head.
One of the ears is arranged slightly higher than the other, so the bird can collect information both horizontally and vertically. Western superstitions attributed to the owl and other representatives of the Strigifomes order all sorts of gloomy powers, prompting their wild hunting. Brought by the Western colonists and to the Romans, some of these superstitions caught in places, such as after which buha would announce, through her song, Someone's death.
In ancient times, Romanian folklore attributed the owl the role of Messenger or herald of the forest. Although the colors vary depending on the species, the most common color is dark brown and light, in the anterior part are visible stripes in shades of white combined with black or yellow. It has long wings, and its tail and legs are short. Strong claws are needed to cling well to tree branches and hunt.
Bubo bubo bubo
Bubo bubo borissowi
Bubo bubo hemachalana
Bubo Bubo Hispanic
Bubo Bubo interpositus
Bubo Bubo jakutensis
Bubo bubo kiautschensis
Bubo Nikolsky
Bubo Bubo omissus
Bubo bubo ruthenus
Bubo Bubo sibiricus
Bubo Bubo tarimensis
Bubo Bubo tibetanus
Bubo Bubo turcomanus
Bubo bubo ussuriensis
Bubo bubo yenisseensis
Bubo Bubo swinhoei
Owl Breeding
Round, white eggs are deposited in burrows, hollows but also freely on the ground or in Rocky niches or in the nests of other birds (eg. Dwarf Owls settle in the nests of Golden woodpeckers, after they abandon them).
Chicks are born with closed eyes and ears and are covered with a light-colored fluff, from which an intermediate plumage is formed. They feed on insects, mice, frogs and small birds.
Feeding is slightly different than that of diurnal birds of prey, in that the chicks take food from the adults when they only touch the head and corner of their beak with food.
