This is another amazing place which I visited in Devon.I do not know how to express myself to describe how the amazing owls were on display there. These Owls are so used to humans and they have been hand tamed. Any one could touch them under the supervision of the keeper. I felt that they would have truly enjoyed with their own kind. When I see these amazing Owls so close I felt how prestigious they looked. Similarly I felt how nice it would have been if they could fly back to the areas where they really belong to nature. But, I have to say that the Owls and the other farm animals have been looked after with lots of care. Especially the person who looked after these Owls seemed to be the one who really liked them.He even hugged the Owls and was so compassionate towards them.When I asked them about their food and lodging, he said they are fed with day old dead chicks from a nearby farm and some other food. They are released to their cages in the nights. Totnes Rare Breeds Farm is so wonderful & amazing , and I hope that you will also like it. Music by Epic Soul Factory at Jamendo.com OWLS ===== An owl is a solitary, mainly nocturnal bird of prey. Owls belong to the order Strigiformes, in which there are 222 known species. Owls are classified in two families: the typical owls, Strigidae, and the barn owls, Tytonidae. Diet / Feeding =========== Owls mostly hunt small mammals, insects, and other birds, though a few species specialize in hunting fish. Distribution / Range =============== They are found on 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. External appearance ================ Owls have large forward-facing eyes and ears, a hawk-like beak, and usually a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disc. Although owls have binocular vision, their large eyes are fixed in their sockets, as with other birds, and they must turn their entire head to change views. Owls are far-sighted, and are unable to clearly see anything within a few inches of their eyes. Their far vision, particularly in low light, is incredibly good, and they can turn their head 180 degrees around. Many owls can also hunt by sound in total darkness. Different species of owls make different sounds. The facial disc helps to funnel the sound of prey to their ears. In some species, these are placed asymmetrically, for better directional location. Owls are more closely related to the nightjars (Caprimulgiformes) than to the diurnal predators in the order Falconiformes. Some taxonomists place the nightjars in the same order as owls, as in the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy . Behaviour ======== Owls' powerful clawed feet and sharp beak enable them to tear their prey to pieces before eating, although most items are swallowed whole. Their muffled wings and dull feathers allow them to fly practically silent and unseen. Some fish-eating owls, which have no need of silence, lack this adaptation. Scientists studying the diets of owls are helped by their habit of disgorging the indigestible parts of their prey (bones, scales, fur, etc.) in the form of pellets. These "owl pellets" are often sold by companies to schools to be dissected by students as a lesson in biology and ecology, because they are plentiful and easy to interpret. Owl eggs are white and almost spherical, and range in number from a few to a dozen dependent on species. Their nests are crudely built and may be in trees, underground burrows or barns and caves. Most owls are nocturnal, but several, including the pygmy owls (Glaucidium), are crepuscular - hunting mainly at dawn and dusk. A few owls, such as the Burrowing Owl (Speotyto cunicularia) and the Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus), are also active during the day. The smallest owls include the pygmy owls, some of which are only 13 cm (5.1 in) long, have a 32 cm (12.6-in) wingspan, and weigh only 50 g (1.76 oz). The largest owls are the eagle owls, the Eurasian Eagle Owl Bubo bubo and Verreaux's Eagle Owl B. lacteus, which may reach 76.2 cm (30 in) long, have a wingspan of just over 2 m (6.6 ft), and weigh about 4 kg (almost 9 lb).
Visibility: 40872
Duration: 8m 55s
Rating: 172