Owls Reading Comprehension Lesson

Birds of Prey

Owls are a type of bird known as birds of prey. There are more than two hundred different species of owls living throughout the world. The only places where you will not find owls are Antarctica, Greenland, and some remote islands.

Owls usually keep to themselves and are active mostly at night. They are called birds of prey because they hunt small mammals, insects, and other birds. A few species of owls also fish. Owls are great hunters because they can hear extremely well. They have a circle of feathers around their eye sockets known as facial discs, which funnel sound to their ears. An owl can hear the sound of a twig snapping 75 feet away.

Owls can fly without making any sound to warn their prey. They fly silently because of special feathers with soft edges that prevent a whooshing noise when flying. Owls also have dull coloring that helps them blend into their surroundings.

Size and Survival

Some owls are very small. The smallest owl is just over five inches long and weighs only a little more than an ounce. There are much larger owls as well. The largest owls are called eagle owls, which are more than two feet long and weigh up to ten pounds. When eagle owls spread their wings, their wingspan stretches more than six feet.

Owls can see a long distance, but they have trouble seeing what is right in front of them. They can see well in dim light. Unlike most birds, owls cannot move their eyes in their eye sockets. Instead, they can rotate their heads almost completely around to look in different directions.

Owls nest in tree hollows, barns, cliff ledges, and even underground burrows. Different species have adapted to live in forests, deserts, grasslands, and Arctic tundra, making owls one of the most widespread bird families on Earth.

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