about owls

      Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 extant bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions (e.g. the Northern Hawk Owl). Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish. They are found in all regions of the Earth except Antarctica, most of Greenland and some remote islands. Though owls are typically solitary, the literary collective noun for a group of owls is a parliament. Living owls are divided into two families: the typical owls, Strigidae; and the barn-owls, Tytonidae

   The feathers making up this disc can be adjusted in order to sharply focus sounds that come from varying distances onto the owls' asymmetrically placed ear cavities. Most birds of prey sport eyes on the sides of their heads, but the stereoscopic nature of the owl's forward-facing eyes permits the greater sense of depth perception necessary for low-light hunting. Although owls have binocular vision, their large eyes are fixed in their sockets as are those of other birds so they must turn their entire head to change views. Owls can rotate their heads and necks as much as 270 degrees in either direction. As owls are farsighted, they are unable to see clearly anything within a few centimeters of their eyes. Caught prey can be felt by owls with the use of filoplumes small hair-like feathers on the beak and feet that act as "feelers". Their far vision, particularly in low light, is exceptionally good.

   The smallest owl weighing as little as 31 g (1.1 oz) and measuring some 13.5 cm (5.3 inches) is the Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi). Some of the pygmy owls are scarcely larger. The largest is the Great Grey Owl with 72 centimeters average, the second and third largest are two of the eagle owls; the Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) and Blakiston's Fish Owl (Bubo blakistoni) which may reach a size of 60 – 71 cm (28.4 in) long, and have a wingspan of almost 2 m (6.6 ft), and an average weight of nearly 4.5 kg (10 lb).

 

    Different species of owls make different sounds; this wide range of calls aids owls in finding mates or announcing their presence to potential competitors, and also aids ornithologists and birders in locating these birds and recognizing species. As noted above, the facial disc helps owls to funnel the sound of prey to their ears. In many species, these discs are placed asymmetrically, for better directional location.

   The plumage of owls is generally cryptic, but many species have facial and head markings, including face masks, ear tufts and brightly coloured irises. These markings are generally more common in species inhabiting open habitats, and are thought to be used in signaling with other owls in low light conditions.

      Owl eggs usually have a white color and an almost spherical shape, and range in number from a few to a dozen, depending on species. 

      Eggs are laid at intervals of 1 to 3 days and do not hatch at the same time. This fact accounts for the wide variation in the size of sibling nestlings. Owls do not construct nests, but rather look for a sheltered nesting site or an abandoned nest in trees, underground burrows, or in buildings, barns and caves.

    The Philippine Scops Owl (Otus megalotis) is a common owl, endemic to the Philippines, belonging to the family of the typical owls Strigidae. It is one of the sixteen owl species in the Philippines.

This owl grows to a length of 20 cm. Their big forward-facing eyes are dark with an orange-red rim. Their crown, ear tufts and feathers are dark brown, with dark streaks above.

   The facial disk has a dark rim. The foreheaas their name "megalotis" indicatesd has a pale color. They have big erect ears, .

The Philippine Scops Owl lives alone or in monogamous pairs. They breed throughout the year, resulting in 1-2 eggs.

They nest in trees holes of forests of the Philippine lowlands. They can equally be found in the pine forests of Luzon.

It preys at night on 

insects.                                    

Its hooting call sounds like "oik oik oik".

Philippine scops owl