owl

owl (oul) noun
1.Any of various often nocturnal birds of prey of the order Strigiformes, having hooked and feathered talons, large heads with short hooked beaks, large eyes set forward, and fluffy plumage that allows for almost noiseless flight.
2.Any of a breed of domestic pigeons resembling owls.

[Middle English owle, from Old English úle, of imitative origin.]

Owl

Owl, common name for an order of widely distributed nocturnal birds of prey. There are two families: the typical owls and the barn owls.
An owl's large eyes are encased in a capsule of bone called the sclerotic ring, which allows almost no eye movement. Owls can rotate their heads 270 degrees to see sideways. Most owls hunt at night, so their hearing is particularly important. Many have asymmetrical skulls, with the ear openings at different levels; this feature enables the bird to locate an animal's sound precisely. Some owls nest in holes in trees or among rocks, others construct large tree nests; and others nest on the ground. Owls feed entirely on living animals, mostly insects and mammals.

The largest genus (Otus) contains more than 50 species. The eagle owls (Bubo) are among the largest species. They have large, earlike tufts of feathers on their heads. Of this genus, only the great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) lives in the Americas, but 17 other species exist in Europe, Africa, and Asia. The elf owl (Micrathene whitneyi) is the smallest species and lives in the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is 13 cm (5 in) long and nests in large cacti.

Scientific classification: Owls make up the order Strigiformes. Typical owls make up the family Strigidae, and barn owls make up the family Tytonidae.

• track _Night Owls_ MP3 by Wagon Christ off of _Throbbing Pouch_ CD on Rising High (1994)

film _Blade Runner_ (vhs/ntsc) (1982)

Rachael: Do you like our owl?
Deckard: Is it artificial?
Rachael: Of course it is.
Deckard: Must be expensive.
Rachael: Very. It seems you feel our work is not a benefit to the public.
Deckard: Replicants are like any other machine - they're either a benefit or a hazard. If they're a benefit, it's not my problem.

• Groupings: "a parliament of owls"
• The smallest of American owls, the elf owl, often nests in the Gila woodpecker’s cactus hole after the woodpecker leaves.  The owl measures barely 6 inches tall.  It specializes in catching scorpions, seizing each by the tail and nipping off its stinger. It then swallows the scorpion’s body, pincers and all.
• If the great horned owl were to be totally stripped of its feathers, the naked bird would weigh less than its feathers.
• Owls are one of the only birds who can see the color blue.
• To see at night as well as an owl, you would need eyeballs as big as a grapefruit.
• On an American one-dollar bill, there is an owl in the upper left-handed corner of the 1 encased in the shield and a spider hidden in the front upper right-hand corner.
• On an American one-dollar bill, there is an owl in the upper left-hand corner of the "1" encased in the "shield" and a spider hidden in the front upper right-hand corner.
• Palindrome - "Mr. Owl ate my metal worm"
• Twilight Zone episode - _An Occurence At Owl Creek Bridge_ (vhs/pal)/(avi)(99.2megs)
  • first aired: 2/28/64
  • A confederate spy is saved from a hanging when his rope breaks and he falls down to the river below. After a successful escape, he makes it back to his house and his wife. However, just when he is about to reach her, his neck is snapped by the noose, revealing the elaborate escape as nothing more than a dream.

• track _The Owl Service_ MP3 by Pram off of _Museum Of Imaginary Animals_ on Merge (2000)
• ethnic dark ambient track _Flight Of The Screech Owls_ MP3 (192k) by Shinjuku Thief off of _The Witch Hammer_ on Donobo (1993)
• hardcore punk track _Eleven Owls Have Eyes_ MP3 by Circle Takes The Square off of s/t
• indie pop track _Welcome To Monday_ MP3 (vK) by Owls
• emo math rock track _I Want The Quiet Moments Of A Party Girl_ MP3 (96k) off of s/t on Jade Tree (2001)
• track _3 Pottery Owls (With Inuendo)_ MP3 by Stretchheads off of _Pish In Your Sleazebag_ on Blast First (1991)
• ambient space rock track _The Owl's Nest_ MP3 (vK) by Sonora Pine off of s/t on Quarterstick (1996)
• ambient techno track _Owls In The Apple Tree_ MP3 (160k) by Legion Of Green Men off of _Floating In Shallow Water_ on Swim~ #021 (1999)
• neo-psychedelia track _The Owl's Escape_ MP3 (192k) by Mary Timony off of _The Golden Dove_ on Matador (2002)
• abstract IDM track _The Owl, Pussycat_ MP3 by Global Goon off of _Goon_ 12" on Rephlex #038 (1996)
• trance track _Blue Owl_ MP3 by Art Of Trance off of _Wildlife On One_ on Platipus

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