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Why People are so Fascinated by Owls

Have you ever had a conversation with an owl? Whistling back and forth with a tiny Screech owl outside your window, or who-whoing to an invisible Great Horned, hidden somewhere in a forest of dark pine. Owls have been the source of many legends, sayings and symbols, crossing over cultures and time, fascinating people from all walks of life. Depending on the culture involved, owls are everything from an omen of death, to a symbol of wisdom.

Looking at the characteristics of owls, it isn't hard to see why they are such a source of fascination.

Owls, unlike most birds, are nocturnal, though there are a few exceptions, like the Snowy Owl who is active during the day. Quite a few prefer to be most active in the wee hours before dawn. Anything associated with the night has the potential to attract attention from day dwellers, holding a mixture of fascination and fear. Nighttime inspires a sense of mystery and the unknown. At night even the familiar can look so different and sometimes a bit scary. Spooky things happen at night. Spooky sounds. Like an odd hooting in the distance.

The cry of an owl has an echoing quality to it, enhanced further by the stillness of night, especially if you happen to be in a forest. The calls of owls can be vastly different; from the stereotypical who-who of a Great Horned owl, to the warbling whistle of a Screech, to the high pitched bark of a Short-Eared. Even to those of us who love and know owls, the scream of a Barn owl can still put one's hair on end.

When they are not calling, they are extremely silent, appearing to glide weightlessly through the air, wings outstretched, to snatch up a mouse or to find a quiet roosting spot. Even when a Snowy Owl floats by during the day, all soft white, the word "ghostly" comes to mind. The same applies to a pale barn owl gliding from rafter to rafter, high overhead.

Unlike other birds, the brilliant eyes of an owl are set in the front of their skull, not on either side. This placement, along with their steady stare, gives the impression of intelligence and wisdom, and even more of an enigma. And when they turn their head almost completely around to gaze behind, it can be startling for a person unfamiliar with owls.

They are skilled hunters, with fantastic vision, keen ears (being able to detect a mouse burrowing under grass), and equipped with formidable talons. They swallow their prey whole and have the practical habit of burping up the fur and bones, all neatly pressed into a pellet shape.

So here we have a night-dwelling creature, which has a strange cry, with huge eyes of intense color that stare right through you, who floats rather than flies, and who appears to have a broken neck, but still lives. It's no wonder so many people, including me, find them so fascinating. And so beautiful.

Learn more about this author, Lynn Schwalbe-Larson.
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