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The Owl House is a TV series that follows Luz, a human girl who wants to become a witch, and her friends Eda and King in the Boiling Isles. The show features magic, comedy, horror, and LGBT representation, and has won several awards and nominations.
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- 2020-01-10
- Animation, Action, Adventure
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owl, (order Strigiformes), any member of a homogeneous order of primarily nocturnal raptors found nearly worldwide.
The bird of Athena, the Greek goddess of practical reason, is the little owl (Athene noctua). Owls became symbolic of intelligence because it was thought that they presaged events. On the other hand, because of their nocturnal existence and ominous hooting sounds, owls have also been symbols associated with the occult and the otherworldly. Their secretive habits, quiet flight, and haunting calls have made them the objects of superstition and even fear in many parts of the world. In the Middle Ages the little owl was used as a symbol of the “darkness” before the coming of Christ; by further extension it was used to symbolize a nonbeliever who dwells in this darkness. Similarly the barn owl (Tyto alba) was looked upon as a bird of ill omen, and it subsequently became a symbol of disgrace. Scientific study of owls is difficult owing to their silent nighttime activity, with the result that the ecology, behaviour, and taxonomy of many species remain poorly understood.
The size range of owls is about the same as that of their day-active counterparts, the hawks, with lengths of about 13–70 cm (5–28 inches) and wingspans between 0.3–2.0 metres (1–6.6 feet). Most owl species are at the lower end of the size range. Owls apparently feed only on animals. Rodents are the most common prey; the smaller species, however, eat insects. All owls have the same general appearance, which is characterized by a flat face with a small hooked beak and large, forward-facing eyes. The tail is short and the wings are rounded. Like the diurnal birds of prey (order Falconiformes), they have large feet with sharp talons. Diversity occurs in size, in the presence or absence of “ear” tufts, and in the shape of the plumage around the face.
Owls are found on all continents except Antarctica and on most oceanic islands. Some, such as the barn owl (Tyto alba) and the short-eared owl (Asio flammeus), are among the most widely distributed birds; others, such as the Palau owl (Pyrroglaux podargina) and the Seychelles owl (Otus insularis), are endemic island species with small populations. Owls often attain higher population densities than hawks and have survived better in areas of human activity. Their nocturnal habits and inconspicuous daytime behaviour provide them some protection from shooting. The greatest population densities are attained by small, territorial, insectivorous species, with pairs spaced about 200 metres (660 feet) apart in suitable woodland.
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Owls utilize virtually all habitats, from grassland and tundra to dense woodland and rainforest. The distribution and density of most species seem to be limited by the availability of suitable nesting sites, rather than by the number of potential prey animals. In general the type of prey taken is dictated by the size of the owl and by the relative ...
Sound is important to owls, especially in mating and territorial defense. Camouflage, daytime immobility, and silent flight may combine to make it as difficult for owls to see each other as it is for natural enemies and human observers to see them. Usual owl sounds include snaps of the bill, claps of the wings in flight, and a variety of vocalizations, with pitches, timbres, and rhythms unique to each species. Pitch differs between sexes (the female higher). Although less melodious than the calls of some birds, the vocalizations of many owls are “songs” in the biological sense and can even be musical to the human ear. The song varies from deep hoots in some large species to chirps, whistles, or warblings in many small owls. When nestlings of the burrowing owl (Speotyto cunicularia) are threatened, the young emit a call that resembles the warning buzz of a rattlesnake—a frequent inhabitant of rodent burrows.
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In North American screech owls (genus Otus), a duet that seems to reinforce the pair bond starts with a special song by the male. He is eventually answered in kind by the female, often from a distance. After 10 to 15 minutes of antiphonal (answering) singing, during which the two approach each other, the pair switches to a second duet, during which they meet. In the early spring this may be followed by precopulatory calls and posturing, then mating. Other calls of the screech owl include a note uttered by the female to stimulate the young to reveal their location after they have left the nest; a food-soliciting call by the young; and barking calls accompanied by bill-snapping, which indicate that the young are being ejected from the territory. Calls are also used during the adjustment of territorial boundaries. In many smaller species that do not normally sing duets, the male may sing all night from a single perch.
The nocturnal routine of most owls involves peaks of activity at dusk and dawn. The owl leaves its secluded roost about dusk and moves to a perch overlooking the hunting area. There is a brief period of song, followed by about half an hour of foraging, then a longer period of song. Most of the darker hours of the night are spent inactively, with a period of alternating singing and hunting just before dawn.
Posturing by singing owls indicates that they communicate by sight as well as by sound. The male horned owl (Bubo virginiatus) bows deeply with each song and raises the tail over the back. The wood owls (Strix species) engage in bowing, bobbing, and dancing, especially when courting. A defense display given by most large owls when threatened or when defending the nest involves increasing apparent body size by spreading the wings halfway and rotating them forward. The body feathers are raised, and the fearsome appearance is enhanced by snapping the bill and rocking the body from side to side. When seeking to avoid attention at its daytime roost (especially when being attacked by small birds), the owl compresses the plumage, elevates the ear tufts, and half closes the eyes. Combined with its barklike colour and pattern of the plumage, the owl looks like a broken branch.
Learn about owls, the nocturnal raptors with flat faces, large eyes, and varied diets. Find out how owls are distributed, feed, hunt, and communicate in different habitats and regions.
Nov 21, 2019 · Luz takes you on a tour of her new (terrifying) fantasy world! The Owl House premieres Friday, January 10th 2020! Watch The Owl House on Disney Channel and in the DisneyNOW app!
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- Disney Channel
Owls, facts and information. A great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) is pictured at a breeding center in Monticello, Italy. Native to the Americas, the species' habitat ranges from the subarctic to...
A poem that contrasts the comfort of an inn with the outside cold, using an owl's cry to reflect on fortune and hardship. Learn about the poem's structure, rhyme scheme, meter, themes, and imagery, and how they create a melancholy tone.
Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes [1] ( / ˈstrɪdʒəfɔːrmiːz / ), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers adapted for silent flight.
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