Strigidae
Pronounced STRIJ-ih-dee
Strigidae includes all of the North American owls, except barn owls. They have all those characteristics that make us think of owls. They hoot, have ear tufts, and rounded faces. There are 18 species of Strigidae in North America and nine of them occur in Southern Oregon. In addition to the three listed below there is the northern pygmy-owl, burrowing owl, great gray owl, long-eared owl, short-eared owl, and the northern saw-whet owl. The three owls listed in this section are year-round residents of southern Oregon (Johnsgard 1988; Sturges et al 1990).
Owls usually swallow their food whole, digesting everything but the bones and fur or feathers. When the owl's meal is assimilated, a small pellet is formed made of the undigested material. These pellets are then ejected back up through the mouth of the owl and can be found near the base of an owls roosting tree. These pellets can be fun to pick apart and examine to determine the prey species eaten (Ehrlich et al 1988).
The word "owl" comes from the Anglo-Saxon word ule (Jaeger 1955), which probably is a representation of the "hoot" of the owl. Ancient Greeks associated the owl with Athena (or the Roman version, Minerva), the goddess of wisdom (Hamilton 1940). Since then, owls have always been associated with wisdom and knowledge.