Curious About Owls

PODCAST 189: CURIOUS ABOUT OWLS

RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, MAY 15TH, 2022

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  I LOVE TO SLEEP.  SO DOES OLIVIA, KIND OF.  DID YOU KNOW THAT WHILE WE ARE SLEEPING AT NIGHT THERE ARE ANIMALS OUT THERE THAT ARE ACTIVE?  THOSE ANIMALS ARE CALLED NOCTURNAL ANIMALS.  NOCTURNAL ANIMALS ARE MORE ACTIVE AT NIGHT THAN THEY ARE DURING THE DAY.  WE GOT CURIOUS ABOUT A FEW NOCTURNAL ANIMALS ALREADY, INCLUDING BATS, COCKROACHES, AND SCORPIONS.  THIS WEEK, WE ARE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT ANOTHER NOCTURNAL ANIMAL, BUT UNLIKE BATS, COCKROACHES, AND SCORPIONS, THE ANIMAL WE’RE GOING TO LEARN ABOUT THIS WEEK IS REALLY CUTE, AND IT ALSO HAPPENS TO BE ONE OF OLIVIA’S FAVORITE ANIMALS.  

O:  DOUBLE-MAILBAG!

D:  DOUBLE-MAILBAG!

“HI, I’M VERA.  WE LOVE YOUR PODCAST!  I HAVE A SUGGESTION.  I’M 6 AND 1/2 YEARS OLD, AND THIS IS MY FIRST SUGGESTION.  CAN WE LEARN ABOUT CATS - ANY KIND OF CATS - AND OWLS?  THANK YOU!

FROM VERA OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.”

“HI, MY 9 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER HAILEY HAS SOME THINGS TO BE CURIOUS ABOUT.  OWLS.  HOW DOES THE MORNING DEW MAKE THE GRASS WET?  WHAT KEEPS AN ISLAND FROM FLOATING AWAY?  THANKS!  WE HAVE TO SPEND LOTS OF TIME IN THE CAR AND LOVE LISTENING TO YOUR PODCAST WITH HER 7 YEAR OLD SISTER SOPHIE.  

FROM HAILEY AND SOPHIE OF GRAND MANAN ISLAND, NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA.”

O:  OWLS ARE AMAZING, AND WE CAN’T WAIT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THEM FOR VERA, HAILEY, AND SOPHIE.  I LOVE OWLS.  THIS EPISODE IS GOING TO BE A HOOT.

D:  IT SURE IS.  LET’S GET THIS HIGH FLYING EPISODE STARTED WITH THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, ARE OWLS WISER THAN OTHER BIRDS?

D:  THE WISE OWL IS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE FOUND IN EVERYTHING FROM GREEK MYTHOLOGY TO WINNIE THE POOH.  ARE OWLS REALLY SUPER WISE BIRDS?  WE ARE GOING TO FIND OUT IN JUST A FEW MINUTES.  

O:  OWLS LOOK VERY DIFFERENT FROM MANY OTHER BIRDS.  THEY HAVE BIG EYES, BIG HEADS COMPARED TO THE REST OF THEIR BODIES, AND A FLAT FACE.  

D:  THEIR EYES ARE VERY UNIQUE.  MOST ANIMALS HAVE SPHERICAL EYES, SO WE END UP CALLING THOSE EYES EYEBALLS.  OWLS HAVE TUBE-SHAPED EYES, SO THEY AREN’T SPHERICAL AT ALL.  OWLS DON’T SEE AS WELL AS HUMANS DURING THE DAY, BUT THEIR NIGHTTIME VISION IS INCREDIBLE.  

O:  UNLIKE HUMANS, OWLS AREN’T ABLE TO MOVE OR ROLL THEIR EYES.  THEIR EYES ARE FIXED STRAIGHT AHEAD.

D:  HUMANS ARE ABLE TO ROLL THEIR EYES LEFT AND RIGHT TO SEE THINGS ON THE SIDE THAT MAY NOT BE VISIBLE BY LOOKING STRAIGHT AHEAD, AND OWLS CAN’T DO THAT.  THAT MIGHT SEEM LIKE A DISADVANTAGE FOR OWLS, BECAUSE OWLS HAVE TO TURN THEIR HEADS TO SEE THINGS TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT.  BUT THERE IS ONE THING THAT OWLS CAN DO THAT IS REALLY COOL THAT MAKES UP FOR THE FACT THAT THEIR EYES DON’T ROLL.  

O:  OWLS ARE ABLE TO TURN THEIR HEADS ALMOST ALL OF THE WAY AROUND.  THEY HAVE A 270 DEGREE RANGE OF VISION. 

D:  THAT MEANS THAT THEY CAN TURN THEIR HEADS THREE-QUARTERS OF THE WAY AROUND.  360 DEGREES WOULD BE A FULL ROTATION.  ARE YOU WONDERING HOW HUMANS COMPARE?  WELL, HUMANS CAN TURN THEIR HEADS ANYWHERE FROM 60 TO 80 DEGREES.  IF YOU WERE ABLE TO TURN YOUR HEAD ENOUGH SO THAT IT RESTS ON YOUR SHOULDER WHEN YOUR SHOULDER IS AT REST, THAT WOULD BE 90 DEGREES.  WE CAN COME CLOSE TO THAT, BUT WE CAN’T QUITE TURN OUR HEADS FAR ENOUGH TO REACH THE SHOULDER.

O:  OWLS CAN ROTATE THEIR HEADS FURTHER THAN ANY OTHER ANIMAL IN THE ENTIRE ANIMAL KINGDOM.  THIS ALLOWS THEM TO SEE ALL AROUND, KEEPING THEM SAFE FROM PREDATORS.

D:  OWLS ALSO HAVE UNBELIEVABLE HEARING.  THE RANGE OF SOUNDS AN OWL CAN HEAR IS SIMILAR TO THE RANGE OF HUMANS, BUT OWL HEARING IS EVEN MORE SENSITIVE.

O:  THIS ALLOWS OWLS TO HEAR THE QUIETEST MOVEMENTS OF THEIR PREY, EVEN IF THEIR PREY IS HIDING UNDER LEAVES OR SNOW.  

D:  CHECK THIS OUT.  OWLS ARE ABLE TO TELL THE EXACT LOCATION OF THEIR PREY BY FIGURING OUT THE DIFFERENCE IN THE TIME IT TAKES FOR SOUNDS TO REACH THEIR LEFT AND RIGHT EARS.  LET ME EXPLAIN.  LET’S SAY A SOUND IS MADE TO LEFT OF AN OWL.  THE OWL WOULD BE ABLE TO TELL THAT THE SOUND HIT IT’S LEFT EAR BEFORE IT HIT THE RIGHT EAR.  THE OWL WILL THEN TURN IT’S HEAD UNTIL THE SOUND HITS BOTH EARS AT THE SAME TIME.  WHEN THAT HAPPENS, AN OWL KNOWS THAT IT’S PREY IT STRAIGHT AHEAD.  OWLS ARE ABLE TO DETECT A DIFFERENCE AS SMALL AS 30 MILLIONTHS OF A SECOND IN BETWEEN SOUNDS REACHING THEIR LEFT AND RIGHT EARS.  UNREAL!

O:  FEMALE OWLS ARE LARGER THAN MALE OWLS.  NOT ONLY THAT, BUT FEMALES ARE ALSO MORE COLORFUL AND LOUDER THAN THE MALES.  

D:  THE SMALLEST OWLS ARE ONLY ABOUT 5 INCHES LONG.  THE BIGGEST OWLS ARE ABOUT 28 INCHES, OR 70 CENTIMETERS LONG.  THEIR WINGSPANS ALSO HAVE A WIDE RANGE, AND CAN BE ANYWHERE FROM ABOUT A FOOT TO ABOUT SIX AND A HALF FEET, OR TWO METERS.  MOST OWLS ARE ON THE SMALLER SIDE OF THESE RANGES.  

O:  NO MATTER WHAT SIZE AN OWL IS, THEY HAVE ANOTHER REALLY NEAT TRICK THAT MAKES THEM GREAT AT HUNTING THEIR PREY.  OWLS ARE ALMOST COMPLETELY SILENT WHEN THEY FLY. 

D:  ISN’T THAT INCREDIBLE?  I COULDN’T BELIEVE THIS FACT WHEN I LEARNED IT.  WE’VE HAD FLIES IN OUR HOUSE BEFORE, AND THEY MAKE A VERY NOTICEABLE BUZZING SOUND AS THE FLY AROUND.  AND FLIES ARE VERY SMALL COMPARED TO AN OWL OF ANY SIZE.  HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT OWLS FLY SO SILENTLY?

O:  THEY HAVE SPECIAL FEATHERS THAT CUT THROUGH TURBULENCE, ALLOWING THEM TO FLY WITHOUT MAKING A SOUND.  

D:  OWLS ARE BIRDS OF PREY, WHICH MEANS THAT THEY HUNT FOR THEIR FOOD.  THEY ARE REALLY GREAT HUNTERS BECAUSE THEIR SENSE OF SIGHT AND SOUND IS TOP NOTCH, AND BECAUSE THEY ARE SILENT FLIERS, BUT THEY ARE ALSO FEARED BY OTHER ANIMALS BECAUSE OF THEIR SHARP TALONS.

O:  THERE ARE FOUR TOES ON EACH TALON, AND ONE OF THOSE TOES ACTS LIKE AN OPPOSABLE THUMB. 

D:  AN OPPOSABLE THUMB IS JUST A FINGER THAT IS OPPOSITE THE OTHER FINGERS OF THE HAND.  IN HUMANS, THE THUMB IS SUPER IMPORTANT IN GRASPING OBJECTS, MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANY OF THE OTHER FOUR FINGERS.  THAT’S BECAUSE THE THUMB WORKS OPPOSITE THE OTHER FINGERS OF THE HAND, THAT’S WHY IT’S REFERRED TO AS AN OPPOSABLE THUMB.  YOU CAN TEST THIS FOR YOURSELF BY TRYING TO LIFT THINGS WITH ONLY 4 FINGERS.  YOU WILL FIND THAT YOU CAN STILL LIFT ALMOST ANYTHING YOU WOULD ORDINARILY BE ABLE TO LIFT IF YOU USE 4 OF YOUR 5 FINGERS, AS LONG AS YOU STILL USE YOUR THUMB.  IF YOU TRY LIFTING THINGS WITHOUT YOUR THUMB, YOU ARE PROBABLY GOING TO HAVE LOTS OF TROUBLE, EVEN IF YOU USE ALL OF YOUR OTHER 4 FINGERS.  MANY ANIMALS DON’T HAVE ANYTHING THAT ACTS AS  AN OPPOSABLE THUMB, AND THAT’S WHY MANY ANIMALS AREN’T CAPABLE OF HOLDING ONTO, AND LIFTING OBJECTS LIKE HUMANS CAN.  BECAUSE OWLS HAVE A TOE ON EACH TALON THAT ACTS LIKE AN OPPOSABLE THUMB, THEY ARE ABLE TO HOLD ONTO THINGS, LIKE BRANCHES AND PREY.  

O:  THERE ARE OVER 150 DIFFERENT SPECIES OF OWL, AND DIFFERENT SPECIES EAT DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT MOST OWLS EAT INSECTS, SMALL BIRDS, AND SMALL MAMMALS, LIKE RABBITS.  

D:  MANY OWLS ALSO ENJOY EATING RODENTS AND SQUIRRELS.  THERE ARE EVEN SOME OWLS THAT ARE ABLE TO CATCH FISH AND EAT THEM.  

O:  THE WAY OWLS EAT IS CRAZY!  FIRST, IT CRUSHES IT’S PREY WITH IT’S STRONG TALONS.  THEN IT EITHER SWALLOWS IT’S PREY WHOLE OR RIPS IT APART WITH IT’S BILL, BECAUSE OWLS DON’T HAVE TEETH.    

D:  THEN THINGS GET REALLY INTERESTING.  WHATEVER THE OWL CAN’T DIGEST, LIKE BONES AND FUR, IS THEN SMUSHED TOGETHER TO FORM A PELLET, AND THE OWL SPITS THE PELLET OUT.   

O:  AS IF OWLS NEED ANOTHER SKILL THAT MAKES THEM FEARED BIRDS OF PREY, THEY ARE ALSO GREAT AT CAMOUFLAGING THEMSELVES.

D:  SINCE THEY SLEEP DURING THE DAY, IT REALLY HELPS THEM THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO BLEND INTO THEIR SURROUNDINGS.  THEY ARE ALSO VERY GOOD AT STANDING INCREDIBLY STILL, WHICH HELPS PREVENT OTHER ANIMALS FROM SEEING THEM DURING THE DAY.  

O:  OWLS CAN BE FOUND ALMOST EVERYWHERE EXCEPT ANTARCTICA.  DIFFERENT SPECIES CAN BE FOUND IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD.  HERE IN THE UNITED STATES, YOU CAN FIND 19 DIFFERENT SPECIES OF OWLS.  

D:  HERE ARE SOME FUN FACTS ABOUT OWLS:  BECAUSE OWLS ARE WELL KNOWN FOR BEING NOCTURNAL, PEOPLE OFTEN CALL OTHER PEOPLE THAT LIKE STAYING UP LATE AT NIGHT NIGHT OWLS.  

O:  BABY OWLS ARE CALLED OWLETS.  THAT IS SUPER ADORABLE.  OWLETS DON’T HAVE ALL THEIR FEATHERS AND THEY AREN’T ABLE TO FLY.  

D:  A GROUP OF OWLS IS CALLED A PARLIAMENT.  THAT’S AN AWESOME NAME.  

O:  NOT ALL OWLS ARE ABLE TO MAKE THE HOOT SOUND.  OWLS MAKE LOTS OF DIFFERENT SOUNDS INCLUDING HISSES, SNORTS, AND SCREECHES.     

D:  OWLS ARE FEARLESS.  THERE ARE MANY TIMES WHEN OLIVIA WILL SEE BIRDS IN OUR BACK YARD.  SHE LOVES BIRDS SO SHE WILL GO OUT AND TRY TO CATCH THEM.  OLIVIA, HAVE YOU HAD ANY LUCK CATCHING BIRDS IN THE BACK YARD?

O:  NOPE, THEY ALWAYS FLY AWAY BEFORE I GET TO THEM, NO MATTER HOW QUICKLY I RUN OR HOW QUIET I TRY TO BE.

D:  BELIEVE IT OR NOT, IF YOU GET CLOSE TO AN OWL, IT’S JUST GOING TO STAY THERE, BECAUSE IT’S NOT SCARED OF HUMANS.  

OKAY, LET’S ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  ARE OWLS REALLY VERY WISE BIRDS?

O:  THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT OWLS ARE VERY WISE.  IN FACT, IT’S LIKELY THAT PARROTS, RAVENS, CROWS, AND MANY MORE BIRDS ARE SMARTER THAN OWLS.         

D:  EVEN THOUGH THEY AREN’T AS WISE AS MANY PEOPLE MIGHT THINK, THEY JUST MIGHT BE THE BEST HUNTERS OF ALL OF THE BIRDS OF PREY.  

WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  189 - OWLS.

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB TO VERA, HAILEY, AND SOPHIE, FOR THE HOOTIFUL EPISODE TOPIC SUGGESTION.  IF YOU LOVE OWLS, YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE THE NEWEST CURIOUS KID PODCAST LOGO CREATED BY OLIVIA HERSELF.  TO SEE IT FOR YOURSELF, CHECK OUT OUR MERCH SHOP.  THE LINK CAN BE FOUND IN THE EPISODE NOTES.  BEFORE WE SAY GOODBYE TO OWL OF YOU FOR THE WEEK, WE HAVE A FEW SPECIAL PEOPLE TO THANK.  

O:  THANKS TO OUR NEWEST PATREON SUPPORTERS, ARIAN B. AND SAM S.

D:  A BIG THANKS TO ARIAN AND SAM FOR YOUR SUPPORT.  WE HOPE YOU ENJOY ALL OF THE BEHIND THE SCENES ACCESS YOU GET.  OUR SUPPORTERS KNOW WHAT WE’RE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT MONTHS FROM NOW AND THEY ALSO HAVE ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE MONTHLY CURRENT EVENTS EPISODES.

O:  WE ALSO WANT TO THANK USERNAME EILISH FAHEY FOR THE 5 STAR REVIEW.

D:  IT SAYS “I LISTEN TO THIS WITH MY FRIENDS, MY BROTHER, AND MY MOM ON OUR WAY TO SCHOOL AND WE HAVE LISTENED TO ALMOST EVERY SINGLE EPISODE.  WE LOVE IT.  WE ARE ALL FROM NEW JERSEY TOO.”

O:  THANKS FOR THE REVIEW.  5 STAR REVIEWS ARE SO IMPORTANT IN HELPING NEW PEOPLE DISCOVER THE PODCAST.  

D:  IT’S AMAZING THAT YOU’VE LISTENED TO ALMOST EVERY EPISODE.  DID YOU KNOW THAT IF YOU LISTENED TO EVERY SINGLE EPISODE OF THE PODCAST BACK TO BACK, WITHOUT STOPPING, IT WOULD TAKE OVER TWO FULL DAYS, MORE THAN 48 HOURS, TO LISTEN TO ALL OF THE EPISODES?  THAT’S A LOT OF LISTENING, AND WE ARE SO GRATEFUL THAT YOU TOOK THE TIME TO LISTEN.  JOIN US NEXT WEEK, WHEN WE WILL GET CURIOUS ABOUT CRYSTALS FOR LISTENERS IN THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO, CANADA, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, TORQUAY, AUSTRALIA, BOZEMAN, MONTANA, AND DELHI, INDIA.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.