1. a privilege conferred on an individual, group, or company by a government: a franchise to operate a bus system. 2. a. the right or license granted by a company to an individual or group to market its products or services in a specific territory.
Since owls are birds of prey they need to hunt and kill other animals to survive. Their diet mainly includes fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, small animals and insects. The type of food really depends on the species of owl. For example, the Asian Fish Owl and the African Fishing Owl are highly specialized at catch fish while the barn owl is specialized in catching mice.
As a result, owls must eat frequently, which also means that they must hunt frequently. Small owls, such as the Elf Owl, have extremely high metabolisms that require them to consume enough prey to equal 50% of their body weight every day. Larger owls have slower metabolisms and eat less than smaller owls do in proportion to their body weight. The Snowy Owl has a metabolism which at times greatly differs from that of all other owls. It might fast for over a month during winter due to the scarcity of prey.