# Questions About Owls **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 18, 2007, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-owls/412290 "2007-07-18T18:32:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-owls/412290/1 "2007-07-18T18:32:01Z")
Can owls fly upside down? What is the maximum payload a full-grown barn owl can carry for a reasonable distance? Does an owl’s hoot echo? How smart are owls compared to other birds of prey? Compared to small predatory mammals (cats)? Can owls look up when they’re perched on their feet? ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-owls/412290/2 "2007-07-18T18:57:06Z")
This oughta be a hoot ---
**Author:** ![Emotionally\_Unavailable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d9b06d/32.png) [@Emotionally\_Unavailable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emotionally_Unavailable)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-owls/412290/3 "2007-07-18T18:59:57Z")
[QUOTE=Inigo Montoya] Can owls fly upside down? What is the maximum payload a full-grown barn owl can carry for a reasonable distance? Does an owl’s hoot echo? How smart are owls compared to other birds of prey? Compared to small predatory mammals (cats)? Can owls look up when they’re perched on their feet? [/QUOTE] Im not sure any bird can fly upside down. African or European owl? A hoot, as anything comprised of sound waves will echo. Pretty danged smart; wise old owl much? As opposed to being perched on their head? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-owls/412290/4 "2007-07-18T19:01:29Z")
A couple weeks ago, I lost my burrow owl. Where can I look for it? ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-owls/412290/5 "2007-07-18T19:21:44Z")
I’m still trying to find out the airspeed velocity of a laden swallow. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-owls/412290/6 "2007-07-18T19:39:31Z")
Please guys? This is _important_. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-owls/412290/7 "2007-07-18T19:44:18Z")
[QUOTE=Ludovic] A couple weeks ago, I lost my burrow owl. Where can I look for it? [/QUOTE] Jumpin Jesus on a pogo stick. Everyone knows that a burrow owl lives in a hole in the ground! Why the hell do you think they call it a burrow owl, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-owls/412290/8 "2007-07-18T19:56:46Z")
[QUOTE=Inigo Montoya] Can owls fly upside down? [/QUOTE] Common sense would tell me no. Could an owl turn upside down while flying? Sure. Could it maintain altitude while upside down? I would strongly wager no. [QUOTE=Inigo Montoya] What is the maximum payload a full-grown barn owl can carry for a reasonable distance? Does an owl’s hoot echo? How smart are owls compared to other birds of prey? Compared to small predatory mammals (cats)? Can owls look up when they’re perched on their feet? [/QUOTE] These, I haven’t much of an idea. Other than yes, the hoot echos. Why would a guy want to know such things? ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-owls/412290/9 "2007-07-18T20:01:52Z")
Owl looking up: (You can’t see his feet, but, well, extrapolate, okay?) Warning: Freaky looking cricket-thing on this page. [http://dwlvideo.com/cellphone/greatHornedOwlLookUp.htm](http://dwlvideo.com/cellphone/greatHornedOwlLookUp.htm) All info that I could find suggests the largest prey that barn owls take is rabbits, but none of the articles say how big. The one by our house is fond of pigeons, but I suppose they don’t weigh much. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-owls/412290/10 "2007-07-18T20:23:23Z")
Since owls can, I assume, look forward whilst flying, it only makes sense that they can look up when perched. I’ve heard from a couple of falconers that owls aren’t the brightest sticks in the drawer. And if you can’t trust a software engineer to know about owls, well … who can you trust? ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-owls/412290/11 "2007-07-18T20:59:08Z")
[QUOTE=Inigo Montoya] Please guys? This is _important_. [/QUOTE] Come on, people. Inigo Montoya _obviously_ has a big Owl test coming up, and all we seem to be getting are sarcastic remarks. Sheesh. FWIW, Owls aren’t really that smart. It’s a misnomer. I mean, all they do is ask “who” all the time. If they were really smart, they’d already know the answer. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-owls/412290/12 "2007-07-18T21:07:07Z")
No, he’s just been testy since someone killed his father. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-owls/412290/13 "2007-07-18T21:20:16Z")
I’ve seen bird-of-prey shows at zoos and museums, and I’ve never seen any demonstrations done by owls, only hawks, falcons, or eagles. Owls were only sitting there. I can’t say for certain it’s due to intelligence. One time someone tried to demonstrate how quite an owl was but it didn’t cooperate. Since owls can look forward while flying, as **Bobotheoptimist** notes, I’d agree that they’d be able to look up, but since their prey isn’t usually above them, they wouldn’t need to. I would be willing to bet that an owl can not fly upside down in any kind of sustainable manner. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-owls/412290/14 "2007-07-18T21:23:30Z")
All I can tell you is they’re not as they seem. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-owls/412290/15 "2007-07-18T21:27:43Z")
[QUOTE=Emotionally Unavailable] Im not sure any bird can fly upside down. [/QUOTE] Hummingbirds can fly upside down for short periods of time. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-owls/412290/16 "2007-07-18T22:05:09Z")
[QUOTE=Atomicktom] Come on, people. Inigo Montoya _obviously_ has a big Owl test coming up, and all we seem to be getting are sarcastic remarks. Sheesh. [/QUOTE] I am NOT using the Dope to help me with my homework! **Can owls fly upside down?** Seems to be “No, not really” which makes sense sine most of their act consists of sitting, swooping and flopping back up the tree. \*\*What is the maximum payload a full-grown barn owl can carry for a reasonable distance?\*\*Ok, about 1 rabbit. Good enough. \*\*Does an owl’s hoot echo?\*\*Had to ask \*\*How smart are owls compared to other birds of prey? Compared to small predatory mammals (cats)?\*\*So…pretty dumb then? \*\*Can owls look up when they’re perched on their feet?\*\*So…maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-owls/412290/17 "2007-07-18T22:20:35Z")
[QUOTE=garygnu] I’ve seen bird-of-prey shows at zoos and museums, and I’ve never seen any demonstrations done by owls, only hawks, falcons, or eagles. Owls were only sitting there. I can’t say for certain it’s due to intelligence. One time someone tried to demonstrate how quite an owl was but it didn’t cooperate. … [/QUOTE] Yeah, but was the demonstration during the day time? That’s a pretty big disadvantage for the owl to operate under. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-owls/412290/18 "2007-07-18T23:58:24Z")
I’ve had the impression that owls appear to have limited mental capacity largely because so much of their brain is devoted to sensory processing for those huge eyes and their keen hearing. They’re superb night predators, but at an evolutionary cost in terms of being less generalized. Sailboat ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2007, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-owls/412290/19 "2007-07-19T00:43:13Z")
[QUOTE=Atomicktom] Come on, people. Inigo Montoya _obviously_ has a big Owl test coming up, and all we seem to be getting are sarcastic remarks. Sheesh. [/QUOTE] Oh dear. Inigo, you do realize the [OWLs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordinary_Wizarding_Level) have nothing to do with the bird, right? ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2007, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-owls/412290/20 "2007-07-19T01:55:23Z")
[QUOTE=Sailboat] I’ve had the impression that owls appear to have limited mental capacity largely because so much of their brain is devoted to sensory processing for those huge eyes and their keen hearing. They’re superb night predators, but at an evolutionary cost in terms of being less generalized. [/QUOTE] Indeed. To quote Warner Shedd from his book [_Owls Aren’t Wise & Bats aren’t Blind: A Naturalist Debunks Our Favorite Fallacies About Wildlife_](http://www.amazon.com/Owls-Arent-Wise-Bats-Blind/dp/0609807978/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-6338232-0514836?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1184808690&sr=8-1): > [@](#): > > Appearances notwithstanding, the sad truth is that owls don’t rate very high on the intelligence scale, even among birds. Members of the Corvidae – ravens, crows, jays, magpies, and the like – to use just one example, are undoubtedly far smarter than owls. Upon careful consideration, it shouldn’t come as any great surprise that owls rate as something of dim bulbs among their bird brethren. After all, so much of an owl’s skull capacity is taken up with the apparatus necessary for vision and hearing that there’s little brainpower left for “wisdom”! > [@bluethree](#): > > Yeah, but was the demonstration during the day time? That’s a pretty big disadvantage for the owl to operate under. Not really. Owls see just as well during the day as they do at night. They are primarily nocturnal largely because their prey are nocturnal. That, and they don’t have to compete with other birds of prey for those tasty mouse morsals then. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-owls/412290.md?page=2)