Owls are generally solitary, but when seen together the group is called a parliament as they have long been considered a symbol of wisdom.

Owls don't build their own nests. Instead, they use nests or tree cavities left behind by other birds, such as woodpeckers or northern flickers. Even burrowing owls don't dig their own burrows.

There are more than 225 owl species in the world, divided into two families. Barn owls with their distinct heart-shaped facial disks make up the Tytonidae family, while all other owl species are in the Strigidae or typical owl family.

Owls have 14 neck vertebrae compared to seven in humans, which makes their necks more flexible., but it's a myth that they can rotate their heads 360 degrees. They can, however, turn their necks 135 degrees in either direction, which gives them 270 degrees of total movement. Bone adaptations, blood vessels with contractile reservoirs, and a supporting vascular network allow the owls to turn their heads that far without cutting off blood to the brain.

Getting killed by an owl is pretty gruesome. First the owl crushes its prey to death with its strong talons. Then, depending on the size, it either eats the prey whole or rips it up. The owl's digestive tract processes the body, and the parts that can't be digested, like fur and bones, are compacted into a pellet, which the owl later regurgitates.

Owls ears are placed asymmetrically and are different sizes. This allows them to receive sounds at different times and pinpoint the exact location of the sound.

There are almost no predators to the adult Great Horned Owl, also known as the tiger owl, however they are sometimes killed by other great horns, and these confrontations often end in cannibalism.

Approximately 1/3 of the world's owl species are listed on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species.

Although rodents are their most common prey, the Eurasian eagle-owl has also been known to eat rabbits, hedgehogs, and even young deer.

In addition to hoots, owls may chirp, whistle, scream, screech, bark, growl, shriek, hiss, or even whinny. Scientists call these different sounds vocalizations.