Incredibly Silly Bird

This is the Brown Hawk Owl which, sadly, I did not see on campus. I just found these online photos of him when I was trying to identify the bird I saw this morning.

Look at this silly bird! He reminds me a little bit of Deebo with his big staring eyes:

The Brown Hawk Owl is very nocturnal but it can often be located by the small birds that mob it while it is roosting in a tree. It feeds mainly on large insects, frogs, lizards, small birds, and mice. The call is a repeated low soft, musical oo-uk ...ooo-uk... which may be heard at dusk and dawn.

Owls are predators. These birds of prey usually hunt rodents and other small mammals. Owls have good vision in the day and their eyesight is excellent at night. Although most owls are nocturnal, some species of owls are active and hunt during the day. There are over 150 species of owls. Owls have the best hearing of all birds. An owl's ears are placed one higher than the other. The odd placement increases their sound reception. Owls cannot move their eyes from side to side but they can turn their heads three quarters of the way around. Contrary to popular belief, they cannot rotate their heads completely around. Owls are found on all continents except Antarctica. Owls mate for life. Female owls are larger and heavier than their male counterparts. Owls have 3 eyelids. The eyelid consists of an upper lid, lower lid and a thin layer of tissue that moves diagonally across the eye from the inside to outside cleaning the eye. Barn owls are able to consume twice as much food as other owls in comparison to their weight. One barn owl offspring is able to consume 25,000 mice a year. Most owls are solitary creatures but a group of owls would be referred to as a parliament. In Greek mythology, the owl was often associated with the goddess Athena. Even in present day, some cultures still regard the owl as a symbol of wisdom. The Elf owl is the smallest of the owl species and is about the size of a sparrow. It is found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. The Eurasian Eagle owl is one of the largest species of owls. It is found in Europe and Asia. The Eurasian Eagle owl is a species of horned owl. It is a large powerful bird that lives on the average up to 20 years. Owls may lay up to a dozen eggs over an interval of 1 to 3 days. The eggs do not all hatch at the same time. Owls may nest in trees, caves, barns or other buildings. Some owls species have unique comb-like feathers that allow for silent flight. All owls are protected by state and federal regulations. It is illegal to kill or capture an owl. It is also illegal to possess an owl without proper permits.

From Wikipedia and AssociatedContent.com