what owls eat quick facts
- Owls eat only animals, never plants.
- Rodents are the most common prey of owls.
- Owls swallow prey whole and cough up pellets of fur and bone.
- The great horned owl has the most varied diet of any North American bird of prey.
- Barn owls can find mice in complete darkness by sound alone.
What do owls eat?
Owls eat only animals. Britannica says rodents, such as mice, rats and voles, are the most common prey, while smaller owls also eat insects.
What an owl eats depends on how big it is and where it lives. A tiny owl might feed mostly on beetles and moths, while a big owl can catch rabbits, hares and even other birds.
Owls usually swallow their prey whole. Later, they cough up the parts they cannot digest, such as fur, feathers and bones, in a neat bundle called a pellet.
| Owl | What it mainly eats |
|---|---|
| Barn owl | rats, mice, voles and shrews |
| Great horned owl | rabbits, hares, mice and birds, plus many other animals |
| Fish owls | fish and other water animals |
| Small owls, such as the whiskered owl | flying insects |
| Spotted owls | small mammals, birds, insects and amphibians |
Size and habitat decide the menu
There are many kinds of owl, from tiny ones smaller than a sparrow to big owls with wings wider than your outstretched arms. Each kind eats the prey that suits its size.
Owls live in almost every kind of habitat. Britannica says they use grasslands, tundra, woodland and rainforest, and they are found on every continent except Antarctica.
An owl that lives in a grassy field will catch voles and mice. An owl in a forest may take squirrels and birds, and an owl near a river may catch fish.
How owls hunt at night
Most owls hunt at night, and their bodies are built for it. Britannica says an owl’s huge eyes have extra light-sensitive cells, which help it see in dim light, although owls cannot see colour well.
An owl’s eyes cannot move in their sockets, so it turns its whole head instead. Britannica says owls can turn their heads more than 180 degrees in either direction.
Their hearing is even more amazing. A ring of feathers around the face works like a dish, directing sound towards the ears. In many owls, one ear opening is higher than the other, which helps them tell exactly where a sound is coming from.
Britannica says some owls can find prey in complete darkness using hearing alone.
Owls also fly almost silently. Their soft, fringed flight feathers muffle the sound of their wings, so their prey does not hear them coming. Find out more in our guide to how fast owls fly.
How an owl catches its prey
Many owls sit on a perch, such as a branch or a fence post, and watch and listen. When they spot prey, they swoop down silently.
An owl catches prey with its feet, not its beak. Britannica says owls have large feet with sharp, curved claws called talons, which grip and kill the prey.
The owl then uses its small hooked beak to tear the food if it is too big to swallow in one go.
How an Owl Catches Its Prey
- Waiting The owl sits on a perch, watching and listening.
- Spotting It sees or hears an animal moving below.
- Swooping It glides down, its soft feathers making almost no sound.
- Grabbing It seizes the prey with its feet.
- Eating It swallows the prey whole, or tears it with its hooked beak if it is too big.
Owls that catch fish
Some owls hunt by water. Britannica says fish owls catch live fish and other animals.
They swoop low over rivers and streams and snatch fish from near the surface with their strong, rough-soled feet. Other owls sometimes catch frogs, crayfish and other small water animals too.
What do owls eat in captivity?
In zoos, wildlife parks and rescue centres, owls are fed whole animals that are like their natural food, such as mice, rats and young chickens.
Whole prey is important, because the fur, feathers and bones help keep an owl healthy, just as they do in the wild. The owl still coughs up pellets.
Keepers sometimes add vitamins and minerals, especially for young or sick owls, to make sure the birds get everything they need.
In many countries, including the UK and the USA, it is against the law to keep a wild owl as a pet without special permission. Owls need expert care, lots of space and a diet of whole animals.
What do barn owls eat?
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology says American barn owls eat mostly small mammals, especially rats, mice, voles, lemmings and other rodents. They also eat shrews, bats and rabbits.
Most of their prey is active at night, so squirrels and chipmunks, which are active by day, are fairly safe from barn owls. Now and then, barn owls eat birds such as starlings and blackbirds.
Barn owls hunt by flying slowly over open fields at night. Cornell says they use their amazing hearing, helped by their dish-shaped faces, to find mice and other rodents in the grass, often in complete darkness.
When a barn owl pair is nesting, Cornell says they sometimes store dozens of prey animals at the nest, ready to feed the chicks when they hatch. Read more in our guide to what barn owls eat.
Barn Owl Facts
- Squirrels and chipmunks — Fairly safe from barn owls, because they are active by day
- Starlings and blackbirds — Birds that barn owls eat now and then
- A dish-shaped face — Helps a barn owl hear mice in the grass
- Dozens of prey animals — What a nesting pair may store, ready for the chicks
- 50 to 55 days — How long barn owl chicks stay in the nest
What do great horned owls eat?
The great horned owl is one of the biggest owls in North America. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology says it has the most varied diet of any North American bird of prey.
Its prey ranges from tiny rodents and scorpions to hares, skunks and geese, and even other birds of prey, such as hawks and smaller owls.
Cornell says great horned owls eat mostly mammals and birds, especially rabbits, hares and mice. They also eat reptiles, insects and fish, and sometimes carrion.
Great horned owls usually hunt at night, but they sometimes hunt in daylight. They often watch from a perch, then fly after their prey, and they may even walk along the ground to stalk small animals. Learn more in our great horned owl facts.
Small owls and insects
Small owls cannot catch big prey, so many of them eat insects. Britannica says some owls, such as the Southeast Asian hawk owl and the whiskered owl, catch flying insects.
Small owls also eat spiders, earthworms, lizards and frogs when they can find them. For a small owl, a large beetle or moth is a good meal.
Which Owl Eats What?
- The great horned owl — Has the most varied diet of any North American bird of prey
- Fish owls — Catch live fish from rivers and streams
- The whiskered owl — Takes flying insects among the leaves
- The Southeast Asian hawk owl — Swoops from a perch to catch flying insects
- The American barn owl — Hunts rats, mice, voles and shrews in open fields
What do spotted owls eat?
Britannica says spotted owls hunt at night. They catch small mammals, birds, insects and amphibians, swooping on them from perches in the trees and grabbing them with their talons.
Squirrels and wood rats are among the mammals that forest owls like these catch.
The northern spotted owl lives in old forests in North America. Britannica says it is an indicator species, which means its health shows how healthy those old forests are.
Do owls eat plants?
No. Owls are carnivores and birds of prey, so they do not eat fruit, seeds or other plants.
Everything an owl needs comes from the animals it catches. Even most of the water it needs comes from the bodies of its prey.
Owl pellets
Because owls swallow their prey whole, they eat lots of parts they cannot digest. Britannica says owls cough up these parts, such as fur, feathers and bones, in a pellet.
Pellets are a treasure for scientists and students. By carefully pulling a pellet apart, you can find tiny skulls and bones, and work out exactly what the owl ate.
Cornell says female barn owls even make their nests from their own pellets, shredding them with their feet and arranging them into a cup.
What do baby owls eat?
Baby owls, called owlets, are fed by their parents. The parents bring prey to the nest and tear it into small pieces for the youngest chicks.
As the owlets grow, the parents bring whole animals, and the young owls learn to swallow them. Cornell says great horned owl chicks stay in the nest for about 42 days, and barn owl chicks for about 50 to 55 days.
A family of growing barn owls can eat a huge number of mice and voles, which is why farmers are often glad to have them nearby.
Do owls drink water?
Owls get most of the water they need from their food, so they do not need to drink very often. Some owls do drink from puddles and streams, and many enjoy bathing, especially in hot weather.
Why owls matter
Owls help keep the numbers of mice, rats and voles under control. Britannica says owls help keep nature in balance by controlling rodent populations.
That makes owls good friends to farmers, whose crops and stores of grain can be damaged by rodents.
Three things people get wrong
Owls do not eat plants. They eat only animals.
Not all owls hunt only at night. Great horned owls sometimes hunt in daylight.
Owls do not chew their food. They swallow prey whole and cough up pellets later.
Did you know? Female barn owls make their nests from their own pellets, shredding them with their feet.
Owls: Fact or Myth?
- Owls eat fruit and seeds.
- Great horned owls sometimes hunt in daylight.
- Owls live on every continent.
- Great horned owls sometimes eat other birds of prey, such as hawks.
- Owls live only in forests.
- Great horned owls may walk along the ground to stalk small animals.
- Owl chicks catch their own food from the day they hatch.
- Barn owls can find mice in complete darkness.
Try it
Ask your teacher about dissecting a clean owl pellet. Sort the tiny bones you find and work out what the owl ate.
Knowledge check
What is an owl pellet?
Show answer
A bundle of fur, feathers and bones that an owl coughs up.
What is the most common prey of owls?
Show answer
Rodents, such as mice, rats and voles.
Frequently asked questions
What do owls eat?
Owls eat only animals. Rodents such as mice, rats and voles are their most common prey, and they also eat insects, birds, fish, frogs and reptiles.
What do barn owls eat?
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology says barn owls eat mostly rats, mice, voles and other rodents, plus shrews, bats, rabbits and sometimes small birds.
Do owls eat plants?
No. Owls are carnivores and birds of prey. They get all their food, and most of the water they need, from the animals they catch.
What is an owl pellet?
An owl pellet is a bundle of fur, feathers and bones that an owl cannot digest. The owl coughs it up some hours after eating.
What do baby owls eat?
Baby owls are fed by their parents, who bring prey to the nest and tear it into small pieces. Older owlets learn to swallow whole animals.
How do owls find food in the dark?
Owls have huge eyes for dim light and superb hearing. A dish of face feathers directs sound to their ears, so some owls hunt by sound alone.
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: owl — habitats, prey, insects, fish owls, spotted owls, pellets, eyes, hearing, silent flight and rodent control
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology: great horned owl life history — diet, daytime hunting, hunting methods and nesting
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology: American barn owl life history — diet, hunting by sound, stored prey, pellet nests and nesting
Owl Diet Final Challenge
- What are an owl's sharp, curved claws called?
- What are baby owls called?
- How long do great horned owl chicks stay in the nest?
- Which of these is on a great horned owl's menu?
- What else do great horned owls sometimes eat?
- Where do owls live?
