Owl Families

This group gathers taxon/Bird Families subcategory members that are themselves bird families belonging to the order Strigiformes, the owls, mostly nocturnal birds of prey immediately recognizable for large, forward-facing eyes that give strong binocular depth perception in low light, a flexible neck capable of rotating far beyond the range of most other birds, and specialized, softly fringed flight feathers that let most species fly almost silently while hunting. Owl families are found on every continent except Antarctica and range enormously in size, from small owls barely larger than a sparrow to large forest and tundra species capable of taking prey as large as a hare, and nearly every species relies heavily on acute hearing, in several species aided by asymmetrically positioned ears, to pinpoint prey moving unseen in darkness or beneath snow or leaf litter.