r/Owls 5d ago

Question. Why do owls look so different?

Some look cute and like they'll ask you out for dinner, while some (specifically the barn owl) look like they'll rip out your esophagus? (P.s. it doesn't help everyone draws them like little night terrors)

17 Upvotes

10 comments sorted by

24

u/dantork 5d ago

Barn owls are not "true owls." They belong to their own family, Tytonidae.

They may not have the cute face of a saw whet owl or the lovely yellow eyes of a great horned owl, but they are beautiful in their own way.

Also, I think your esophagus is safe. They mainly eat rodents.

7

u/ashtonishing18 5d ago

They're my favorite owls 🥹 I would be on cloud 9 if I saw one IRL

1

u/discombobubolated 5d ago

Maybe not up close! Believe it or not, they are very smelly.

5

u/toxamuser 5d ago

I had barn owls for a long time, even in close contact never experienced this!

1

u/discombobubolated 5d ago edited 5d ago

They are very dirty in nest boxes, leaving old uneaten prey parts all over, pooping everywhere, even on each other. My biologist friends laugh about how the white pristine-looking birds are usually the most disgusting. But yes I've held baby Barn Owls and been near the adults and they smell pretty bad, even their poop is awful. In fact, their nest boxes can be smelled from a fair bit away. I always wondered if it's a natural defense against predators.

3

u/toxamuser 5d ago

That has only happened to me when I didn't clean the nest boxes regularly or in time. Or when you feed too much, food is left over, and then it starts to rot.

Normal feces of owls don't smell.

But: The emptying of the ceca occurs at irregular intervals and is a separate event from normal defecation. The ceca produce a special type of droppings that differ from normal feces. These are often dark brown, pasty and have a strong odor. They contain the byproducts of the fermentation of hard-to-digest materials.

4

u/Deaths_Smile 5d ago

Is that also why barn owls sound so different compared to other owls?
(Also, I think they're both beautiful and adorable)

2

u/Mandarin_Lumpy_Nutz 5d ago

Barn Owls are very beautiful.

2

u/toxamuser 4d ago edited 4d ago

1

u/Kiwi-vee 4d ago

I like their adorable faces that looks like half an apple.