Owls, Truthfully Trivia Quiz

Answer: Tawny owl

The tawny owl (or brown owl) belongs to the wood owl genus and is generally found in woodland habitats. Traditionally they nest in holes in trees, but they can now also be found in more urban settings using nest boxes or holes in buildings. They are nocturnal hunters, taking a wide range of prey including worms, small rodents, or even animals as large as rabbits. The key to their hunting success is their ability (like many other owls) to fly silently, a feat which is achieved by having very soft and specially shaped flight feathers.

Tawny owls have a very distinctive call. The females (which are much larger and heavier than the males) make a "ke-wick, ke-wick" sound and the males respond with a softer "hoo, hoo" noise. If a pair of tawny owls are having a chat you'll hear "ke-wick hoo, ke-wick hoo" and suddenly it becomes easy to see where the "twit twoo, twit twoo" - that is so often associated with the owl family - developed from.

The striped owl and mottled owl are both native to South and Central America. The maned owl is found in western Africa.

Answer: Western screech owl

Contrary to their name, western screech owls don't generally screech. Male birds in particular are more commonly heard making softer "hoo, hoo" noises. They prey on a wide range of small animals and birds, often swallowing them whole. Their digestive systems are capable of breaking down most parts of the prey, but inedible bits like bones and claws are regurgitated in the form of pellets.

Western screech owls are generally found in western parts of the continent of North America, particularly those areas to the west of the Rocky Mountains. Their favourite habitats are open forests (they avoid dense forests that may be harbouring other owl species), particularly those alongside rivers.

There is no such thing as a Rocky Mountains wailing owl; the Oregon screaming owl is also fictitious. There is a barking owl, but it is found in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

Answer: Barred owl

A barred owl can be identified by the barred (stripy looking) feathers on its upper chest, back and tail. Also, in its traditional home territory of the eastern United States it is also the only species of true owl with brown eyes rather than the more usual yellow.

Barred owls were first spotted spreading westwards during the 1960s and have since shouldered a disproportionate share of the blame for the decline in population suffered by the northern spotted owl. Although the barred owl is a more aggressive species that tends to out-compete the northern spotted owl for food when their territories coincide, the northern spotted owl is considered to be primarily threatened by the loss of its key habitat (on the Pacific coast of North America) to the logging industry.

The crested owl is found in Central and South America; the fearful owl is at home in the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea; and Hume's owls are native to Egypt and the Middle East.

Answer: African scops owl

Like many other nocturnal birds, the African scops owl is generally found roosting on a tree during daylight hours. This particular species is well-adapted to hiding in trees as it is a small bird, only 15 to 20cm (6 to 9 inches) in length, with mottled brown and grey plumage that provides excellent camouflage.

The African scops owl is native to most parts of sub-Saharan Africa. It is found across the continent from Senegal (from which it takes its Latin name) in the west to Somalia in the east and right down to South Africa at the southern tip. Given its small stature it is unsurprising that the African scops owl tends to stick to manageable prey such as beetles, crickets, scorpions and small rodents. Its great agility also comes in very handy for catching insects such as moths in mid-flight.

Arabian scops owls are native to the Arabian Peninsula; Indian scops owls are found across southern Asia; and the Philippine scops owl is from the Philippines.

Answer: Eurasian pygmy owl

The Eurasian pygmy owl is unusual in several ways. Firstly it is only about 15 to 20cm (6 to 9 inches) long and secondly it is not nocturnal. They are crepuscular, that is mostly active around dawn and dusk, but are also often seen out and about during the day. The male birds are highly territorial and will show off the potential nesting sites in their territory to unattached females. Once paired, Eurasian pygmy owls are often monogamous with the same pair meeting up again year after year.

Elf owls are native to the south-west United States and Mexico; the long-whiskered owlet is a rare bird native to the Andes; and the northern white-faced owl is from Africa is quite large and has a white face...

Answer: Snowy owl

The snowy owl, also sometimes called the Arctic owl or great white owl, is one of the largest species of owl and certainly one of the most distinctive. The most famous member of the species is probably a fictional female bird named Hedwig. She was the beloved companion and personal postal service of Harry Potter, the eponymous hero of J.K. Rowling's hugely successful series of children's novels.

No real-life snowy owl has ever been recorded delivering the mail. However, they would be more than capable of lugging parcels about as they often hunt by grabbing prey with their sharp talons whilst in mid-flight, before carrying it off to a convenient perch to be swallowed whole.

There are two species of white-faced owl (northern and southern) but both are native to Africa. The northern hawk-owl has predominantly brown and white plumage and has a slightly more southerly range than the snowy owl. Zebra owls simply do not exist.

Answer: Great horned owl

The great horned owl has a notoriously poor sense of smell, which, if nothing else, gives it a distinct advantage when hunting skunks. It is a good idea for people to avoid getting too close to great horned owl nests, mainly because the owls may well attack in order to protect their young but also because the skunky smell emanating from them can be seriously unpleasant.

The name great horned owl is a bit of a misnomer. The 'great' part is certainly applicable as it is a large bird with a wingspan of up to about 5 feet. However, the 'horned' part is definitely not true - it actually just has large tufts of feathers sticking up from its head (which also shouldn't be mistaken for its ears).

The powerful owl, rufous owl and white-browed hawk-owl are all members of the Ninox genus of owls. The first two are found in Australia while the latter is native to Madagascar.

Answer: Indian eagle-owl

The Indian eagle-owl is also known as a rock eagle-owl (probably due to the terrain it is often found in) or Bengal eagle-owl (Bengal being a region of north-eastern India and Bangladesh). Although they live and hunt in hilly areas, they are not found further north in the Himalayan region and tend to stick to lower slopes below 1,500m (5,000ft).

The Papuan hawk-owl is found on the island of New Guinea, which is shared by Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. Peregrine falcons are the fastest bird species in the world with diving flights measured at over 240mph (390km/h). The Chinese goshawk (or Chinese sparrowhawk) is a migratory bird of prey that has its breeding grounds in China, Siberia and the Korean peninsula. Neither of these latter two birds has given their name to an owl.

Answer: Pel's fishing owl

The Pel's fishing owl, like most owls, is a nocturnal hunter - spending its days roosting in conveniently placed trees before moving down to branches overhanging the water to hunt. Their preferred technique is then swooping down to snatch up unsuspecting fish from the surface of the water or occasionally other aquatic creatures such as frogs or crabs. They don't dive into the water or generally get very wet at all during the hunting process.

Being a fish-eater, the Pel's fishing owl is generally only found around rivers, lakes or estuaries and is certainly not an expected sight in any of southern Africa's desert regions. It is named after Hendrik Severinus Pel, a 19th century Dutch colonialist who was a former governor of the Gold Coast (now known as Gabon).

None of the incorrect options are genuine (let alone true) species of owl.

Answer: Long-eared owl

The distinctive tufts on the head of the long-eared owl are in fact the bird's ears. They are found in woodland during the day while they are roosting, but spend their nights (particularly around dawn and dusk) hunting over open fields or countryside looking for small mammals or birds to prey on. In most areas where you are likely to spot a long-eared owl you will also find the very similar-looking short-eared owl. It will probably come as no surprise to discover that the key way to tell the two birds apart is to look at the length of their ears...

All of the incorrect options belong to the Tytonidae or barn owl family and are therefore not classed as true (or typical) owls. The common barn owl is the most widespread and recognisable member of the family, being found on all continents except Antarctica. The red owl or Madagascar red owl is found, unsurprisingly, in Madagascar. The golden masked owl is found only on the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea and is sometimes known as the Bismarck owl (because of the nearby Bismarck Sea).