# Owl — Facts, Threats & Conservation

*Strigiformes*

> An owl is a nocturnal bird of prey in the order Strigiformes, made up of about 250 species across two families, distinguished by forward-facing eyes, near-silent flight and the ability to rotate its head up to 270 degrees.

**IUCN status:** Varies by species (Least Concern to Critically Endangered)  ·  **WARN range:** Worldwide

## Quick facts
| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Lifespan | Around 10 years in the wild; longer in larger species and captivity |
| Weight | ~31 g (elf owl) to over 4 kg (large eagle-owls) |
| Size | 13.5 cm to 71 cm in length; wingspans up to ~1.9 m |
| Diet | Carnivore: rodents, insects, birds, fish and reptiles |
| Incubation | Roughly 30 days, usually by the female |
| Young per clutch | Typically 3 to 4 eggs |
| Baby name | Owlet (or nestling) |
| Group name | A parliament of owls |
| Head rotation | Up to 270 degrees |
| CITES | Most owls listed on CITES Appendix II |

## Scientific classification
- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Aves
- **Order:** Strigiformes
- **Families:** Strigidae (typical owls), Tytonidae (barn and bay owls)
- **Species:** ~250

## Conservation status
- **Status:** Varies by species; representative status Near Threatened (e.g. spotted owl); group ranges from Least Concern to Critically Endangered
- **Population:** Not estimated for the order as a whole; varies widely by species
- **Trend:** Mixed; many species stable but several declining
- **Assessed:** 2021
- **CITES:** Most species listed on CITES Appendix II
- Around 6 owl species are assessed as Critically Endangered and 7 as Endangered on the IUCN Red List; key threats are habitat loss, deforestation and rodenticide poisoning.

## Key facts: Owl
- Owls form the order Strigiformes, with around 250 species split between the typical owls (Strigidae) and the barn and bay owls (Tytonidae).
- They are found on every continent except Antarctica, occupying forests, deserts, grasslands and farmland.
- Specialised feathers with serrated and velvety edges let owls fly almost silently while hunting.
- Owls can rotate their heads up to 270 degrees, compensating for eyes that are fixed in their sockets.
- Most owls are nocturnal carnivores, eating rodents, insects, birds and other small animals, often swallowing prey whole and coughing up pellets.
- While many owl species are stable, rodenticides, habitat loss and deforestation threaten several, with around 13 species classed as endangered or critically endangered.

## What is an owl?
Owls are birds of prey that make up the order Strigiformes, comprising roughly 250 living species. They are divided into two families: the typical or true owls (Strigidae), which includes most species such as the great horned, snowy and scops owls, and the barn and bay owls (Tytonidae), recognised by their heart-shaped facial discs. Owls are characterised by large, forward-facing eyes set in a flat facial disc that channels sound to their ears, a hooked beak, sharp talons and feathers that camouflage them against bark and foliage. They range enormously in size, from the elf owl at about 13.5 cm and 31 grams to large eagle-owls reaching 71 cm in length with wingspans near 1.9 metres and weights of more than 4 kg.

## Silent flight and night vision
Owls are built for hunting in low light and near silence. The leading edge of the wing carries a comb-like serration that breaks up turbulent air, while velvety feather surfaces and a soft trailing fringe muffle the sound of flapping, allowing many species to approach prey unheard. Because their tubular eyes cannot move within the skull, owls turn their heads instead, rotating up to 270 degrees thanks to extra neck vertebrae and a blood-vessel system that keeps the brain supplied during the twist. Asymmetrically placed ear openings in some species let them pinpoint prey by sound alone, even under snow or leaf litter.

## Diet, breeding and life cycle
Owls are carnivores that feed mainly on small rodents, but their diet also includes insects, other birds, fish, reptiles and occasionally larger mammals. They typically swallow small prey whole and later regurgitate the indigestible fur and bones as compact pellets, which researchers study to learn what owls eat. Most species lay three to four rounded white eggs, which the female incubates for roughly a month using a bare brood patch. Chicks, called owlets, hatch blind and helpless and depend entirely on their parents before fledging. In the wild many owls live around 10 years, though larger species can survive much longer.

## Conservation: a varied picture
As a group, owls range from very common to critically endangered. Widespread species such as the barn owl are listed as Least Concern, while forest specialists like the spotted owl are Near Threatened due to logging of old-growth habitat. Several island and tropical species are in serious trouble, with roughly six classed as Critically Endangered and seven as Endangered by global assessors. The biggest pressures are habitat loss and deforestation, secondary poisoning from rodenticides eaten by their prey, road collisions and persecution. Because owls sit near the top of local food chains, declines often signal wider problems in the ecosystems they depend on.

## Typical owls vs barn owls
| Feature | Typical owls (Strigidae) | Barn and bay owls (Tytonidae) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Number of species | ~230 | ~20 |
| Facial disc | Rounded | Heart-shaped |
| Examples | Great horned, snowy, scops, eagle-owls | Common barn owl, bay owls, masked owls |
| Eyes | Often yellow or orange | Typically dark |
| Legs | Variable, often feathered | Long, lightly feathered |
| Distribution | Worldwide except Antarctica | Worldwide except polar regions |

## What WARN does
The World Animal Rescue Network does not currently fund field projects specifically for owls. Owls are a globally distributed group, and at this launch stage WARN's hands-on rescue and rehabilitation work is concentrated in five focus countries (Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil and Colombia). We publish this guide as free educational and search content to raise awareness of owls, the threats they face from habitat loss and rodenticides, and the value of protecting the wild places they share with the species WARN does support. Supporting WARN helps fund habitat protection and wildlife welfare work that benefits many species; we are clear that this does not include dedicated owl programmes today.

Owls remind us how fragile wild habitats can be. WARN does not yet run owl-specific projects, but your gift helps fund habitat protection and wildlife welfare in our focus countries, supporting the broader mission to keep wild places safe for the animals that depend on them.

## Frequently asked questions: Owl
### How many species of owl are there?
There are about 250 living owl species in the order Strigiformes, divided into two families: the typical owls (Strigidae) and the barn and bay owls (Tytonidae). Different authorities count between roughly 220 and 250 species.

### How far can an owl turn its head?
Owls can rotate their heads up to 270 degrees in either direction. They do this because their eyes are fixed in their sockets; extra neck vertebrae and a specialised blood supply let them twist without cutting off circulation to the brain.

### Why can owls fly silently?
Owls fly almost silently because of specialised wing feathers. A comb-like serration on the leading edge breaks up turbulent air, while velvety surfaces and a soft fringe on the trailing edge dampen the noise of flapping, letting them approach prey unheard.

### What do owls eat?
Owls are carnivores that mainly eat small rodents such as mice and voles, along with insects, other birds, fish and reptiles. They often swallow small prey whole and later cough up pellets of fur and bone.

### What is a baby owl called?
A baby owl is called an owlet, or sometimes a nestling. Owlets hatch blind and helpless and rely entirely on their parents for warmth and food before they fledge.

### What is a group of owls called?
A group of owls is most commonly called a parliament. The term draws on the owl's long association with wisdom; owls are usually solitary or live in pairs rather than large flocks.

## Sources
- [IUCN Red List – Common Barn-owl (Tyto alba)](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22688504/59994105)
- [Wikipedia – Owl](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owl)
- [BirdLife DataZone – Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis)](https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/spotted-owl-strix-occidentalis)
- [San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants – Owl](https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/owl)
- [Owl Research Institute – Owl Adaptations](https://www.owlresearchinstitute.org/adaptations)
- [Animal Diversity Web – Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis)](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Strix_occidentalis/)

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Full guide: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/owl