Owl Report

    In June Yr 5/6 had an exciting visit from North Wales bird trust who brought three particular owls. One was a scops owl called Otis and there was a barn owl called Delwin and also a European eagle owl who was called Flipper.

      The two visitors introduced themselves as Bill and Pam and they first brought out the Barn owl.  Pam told us what he ate and where he came from.  

The Scops Owl:  the world's second smallest

      Next she brought out the scops owl which was really tiny - only 19cm tall.  It is in fact the second smallest owl in the world and one wing is only the size of your hand!  This tiny owl had camouflaged feathers that were the same colour as the bark on a tree, so he can just sit in the tree and wait for his prey to come, and he will leap on it.

      Pam then took out the largest owl, Flipper, who weighed over 3kg and he had large orange eyes. Eagle owls are the largest owls in the world and Flipper had a huge wingspan of 2m from tip to tip. He is also camouflaged like the colour of the trees and can fly absolutely silently so that its prey cannot see or hear him coming.   

      Pam told us why owls have forward facing eyes. It is because they are not likely to be eaten by anything else and so do not need to have eyes on the side of their heads to  see the approach of a hunter.

      She also said that the sharp talons are for grabbing and killing their prey and there sharp hooked beak is for tearing meat apart and carrying rats.  Eagle owls can kill foxes and hares by crushing their skulls.

      Owls have very sensitive hearing for finding their prey in the dark.  In fact they have one ear slightly higher than the other so that they can hear behind them as well as in front.

                                   By Philip Bennett & Owen Bromley  

                                                 Bl. 5/6