What is Owl?
{{automatic taxobox | fossil_range = Late [[Paleocene]] to [[Recent epoch|Recent]]: 60{{ndash}}0 mya | image = Athene noctua (cropped).jpg | image_caption = [[Little owl]] (''Athene noctua'') | image2 = Otus jolandae song - pone.0053712.s008.oga | image2_caption = ''[[Otus jolandae]]'' call | taxon = Strigiformes | authority = [[Johann Georg Wagler|Wagler]], 1830 | range_map = Owl range.png | range_map_caption = Range of the owl, all species. | subdivision_ranks = Families | subdivision = [[Strigidae]]<br/> [[Tytonidae]]<br/> [[Ogygoptyngidae]] ([[fossil]])<br/> [[Palaeoglaucidae]] ([[fossil]])<br/> [[Protostrigidae]] ([[fossil]])<br/> [[Sophiornithidae]] ([[fossil]]) | synonyms = Strigidae <small>''sensu'' Sibley & Ahlquist</small> }} [[File:Tyto alba 01.JPG|thumb|right|200px|A barn owl]] [[File:Eagle Owl IMG 9203.JPG|thumb|right|200px|An eagle owl]] [[File:Aryballos owl Louvre CA1737.jpg|thumb|Earliest known representation: an owl-shaped oil-carrier, c. 640 BC, from Greece]] '''Owls''' are [[bird]]s in the [[order (biology)|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 night-time hunters. They feed on small [[mammal]]s 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 small islands. == Owl families == There are two [[Family (biology)|families]] of owls: the true owls and the barn owls: *True owls: the family [[Strigidae]] (185 [[species]] in 25 [[genera]]) *[[Barn owl]]s: 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. It hunts mainly by sound. == Appearance == An owl has a big head, flat face, hooked be