Yesterday I saw a micro-headline from a friend, and a small bird came to his family's threshing ground. It was chubby and had a surprised expression. This little bird is what we're going to introduce today: the longitudinal-bellied owl.
Hey, I'm an owl
The longitudinal-bellied owl (Latin scientific name: Athene noctua) belongs to the order Owl, Owl family, and the genus Owl, and is a common form of small owl.
They can be found everywhere, except in the forest, and they are found in basically any area. For example, on a pile of stones
On the branches
In the haystack
Even on the city walls
It can be seen everywhere, and its distribution range is also very wide, basically covering the entire Eurasian continent, and it is also found in the country from west to east. They are even found on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the roof of the world.
The big round eyes always have a "what to do" expression, which also makes it a popular candidate for emojis.
It's actually a bird of prey, albeit a little bit...
The longitudinal-bellied owl is about 20 cm long and weighs about 200 grams, does not look as large as a palm, and preys mainly on rodents and birds, and insects and amphibians and reptiles are also its prey.
Unlike the usual owl that travels at night, the longitudinal-bellied owl also comes out during the day and is more active in the early morning and dusk.
Owls have good eyesight, thanks to their large eyes, and if human eyes are the same proportion as theirs, then our eyeballs have to be the size of apples.
The eyes of owls are fixed and cannot be turned, because the cross-sectional shape of their eyeballs is like a vase, not spherical. The position of the mouth of the bottle is equivalent to their iris.
When they want to look at things on the side, they can only turn their necks, and the corresponding owl's neck is very flexible.
The owl's feathers are very fluffy, causing the longitudinal-bellied owl to look like a hairball. Actually this guy has a very slender neck and legs. Mammals generally have only 7 cervical vertebrae, and owls have 14 cervical vertebrae.
So when it turns its head, the neck seems to turn 360 degrees in place, which is a bit of a frightening feeling.
The longitudinal-bellied owl is slightly neurotic, and when a person is staying, he will nod his head or turn his head suddenly as shown above. During the breeding season they are even more idle.
From March to July of each year, male and female birds increase their chirping at dusk and dawn, and their activities increase, chasing and playing with each other. Their bark is a bit like a cat's call.
meow
The male will extend his neck, open his feathers, and swing his body from side to side to try to attract the attention of the opposite sex. When they are paired, they will nest in crevices of cliffs, caves, caves of abandoned buildings, or holes in trees. There is really no ready-made hole, they will dig one of their own.
They lay 3-5 white eggs per clutch, and the incubation is done by the female. The incubation period is 28 to 29 days. When the chicks are born, their eyes are closed, their mobility is very weak, and at most they can lift their heads and move, and there is only a thin layer of white fluff on their whole body. Parents need to be fed for six to seven weeks before they can start flying. During this period, the parents of the birds will also go out frequently during the day to hunt, trying to bring as much food as possible to the chicks.
They are not afraid of people, have a strong curiosity, and like to move close to the ground, resulting in them often being caught by people with ulterior motives.
As urbanization advances, so does the number of places near cities and villages that are suitable for them to inhabit.
Hopefully, we'll see this cute flying kitten often.
Thank you for watching
Seasonal variations of the feeding habits of the longitudinal striated owl in the Argin Mountain National Nature Reserve
Author: Avaguli Yusufu; Li Ye; Zhang Xiang; Shi Lei Title: Sichuan Animals
Observation of the reproductive habits of the longitudinal-bellied owl
Author: Xie Dehuan; Qiu Youhong; Guo Jianrong Title: Journal of Zoology
Comparative morphological studies of the Owl, the longitudinal-bellied Owl, and the Kestrel
Authors: Lei Fumin; Zhang Yuhui; Yin Zuohua Journal title: Acta Zoologica Sinica