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Where to Find Owls
You can only see "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" on the big screen. But owl lovers can see these amazing birds at Nature Conservancy nature preserves across the country. Many offer owl-sighting tours and educational programs year round:
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One of the best places to spot several species of owls is The Nature Conservancy's Ramsey Canyon Preserve in Arizona. -
The Nature Conservancy's New York chapter offers guided walks through Central Park so you catch a glimpse of the Eastern screech owls that live there.
Wherever you find owls, do not disrupt their nests or young to get a better look. Shaking trees that house owls, shining bright lights on fledglings, or imitating owl calls can interrupt normal hunting patterns and chick rearing.
Owl Facts
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Owls mate for life.
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Owls are found on all continents except Antarctica.
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Female owls are larger and heavier than the males of their species.
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Most owls can twist their heads almost three-quarters of the way around without moving their bodies.
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Owls' eyes do not move.
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Owls have three eyelids: One for blinking, one for sleeping, and one for cleaning the eye.
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Some owls have one ear higher than the other, giving them excellent hearing that allows them to pinpoint the location of their prey.
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Most owls are nocturnal, except for a few species such as the snowy owl which hunts during daylight hours. Most owls hunt at night so they do not cast shadows that could alert rodents and other prey as they descend from the sky.
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Owls' feathers are designed to muffle the sound of their flying, enabling them to sneak up on their prey.
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Owls are raptors, and they hunt other living things for their food. They are extraordinarily helpful to humans because they control the rodent population.. |
The newest movie in the "Harry Potter" series — "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" — opens in theaters Friday, July 13. Owls make up a large part of Harry Potter's magical world, both on the silver screen and in the original book series by author J.K. Rowling.
In one installment of the Harry Potter book series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Hedwig the magical owl makes a spectacular pet for Harry. Although Hedwig spends much of her time in a bird cage in Harry's room, real owls do not make good pets because they need room to take flight and hunt for their unique food. A male snowy owl like Hedwig would fly for miles to hunt lemmings and capture ducks in midair in its native arctic tundra.
There are 19 species of owls in North America, and more than 150 species worldwide. Many of them are in decline and face possible extinction due to human activities like logging and urban development. The Nature Conservancy hopes that people who see the majestic owls in the movie will help keep them wild by preserving their rapidly disappearing habitats.
Learn More about the Owls of Harry Potter
What The Nature Conservancy is Doing to Protect Owls
The Nature Conservancy works with scientists, and government agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine how best to protect critical owl habitat. Learn more about The Nature Conservancy's Migratory Bird Program, which conserves networks of habitats needed by migratory birds in North America, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Videos
Nature picture credits (left to right): Photos © Harvey Payne (Screech owl); © Harvey Payne (Barn owl); Videos © TNC
