Owl Owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes, which includes about 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers adapted for silent flight. Exceptions include the diurnal northern hawk-owl and the gregarious burrowing owl. Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish. They are found in all regions of the Earth except polar ice caps and some remote islands. Owls are divided into two families: the true (or typical) owl family, Strigidae,
Human uses of birds birds, while John James Audubon's enormous and impressive images of birds in his 1827–1838 "Birds of America" are among the most admired by art critics and by collectors: early editions fetch among the highest prices paid for any printed books. The ornithologist John Gould's bird illustrations, in books such as "A Century of Birds hitherto unfigured from the Himalaya Mountains" (1830–1833) with 80 plates, and his 7-volume "The Birds of Australia" (1840–1848) with 600 plates, related directly to his research, were both beautiful and scientifically useful. Birds are popular characters in children's books, which are often handsomely illustrated. Beatrix Potter's