Owls are animals in the order Strigiformes

There are 200 species, and they are all animals of prey. Most of them are solitary and nocturnal; in fact, they are the only large group of birds which hunt at night. Owls are specialists at night-time hunting animals. They feed on small mammals such as rodents, insects, and other birds, and a few species like to eat fish as well.

As a group, owls are very successful. They are found in all parts of the world except Antarctica, most of Greenland, and some other small islands.

There are two families of owls: the true owls and the barn owls:

True owls: the family Strigidae (185 species in 25 genera)
Barn owls: the family Tytonidae. This contains the genus Tyto, especially Tyto alba, with its many sub-species. The genus Pholidus has only a couple of species, known as bay-owls. Hunts mainly by sound.

Tags: Owls, animals, animal, Strigiformes, birds, bird, species, prey,