What does an owl eat? Do you think Zakhoder, when translating "Winnie the Pooh", understood that in the original the Owl is male, did he just do it the way he wanted, or did he miss this moment? What is a male owl called?

Owls are a group of predators that includes more than 400 species of nocturnal birds. There are 27 genera of birds in the owl family. Among them are owls. They are representatives of owls, but have their own distinctive features. There are a lot of varieties of owls, they can live in almost any area.

Characteristics of the appearance of an owl

A distinctive feature that distinguishes an owl is a fairly large muzzle and round huge eyes. Her pupils are black, the iris is yellow. The bird has a short, slightly curved beak. The nostrils are located almost at the very base of the nose.

It has dense plumage, very soft. The shape of her tail is rectangular, the wings are large and rounded.

Interesting Facts:

Birds that prefer hunting in the forest zone have short wings.
Mammals that prefer open terrain for frequent flights have wings that are long enough.

Relative to the bird's body weight, their wings are quite large. This allows you to fly quickly and easily, glide completely silently and effortlessly.

How do birds differ in appearance?

Birds belong to the order of owls. But these species are completely different.. Each unit is endowed with its own distinctive features. Outwardly, only an eared owl looks like an owl. It is considered a reduced copy of it.

Females, as a rule, have a protective color of plumage, which allows the birds to merge with the colors of the surrounding nature and remain unnoticed during the day during their rest.

Females and males living in the forest zone have a brown tint. Birds that live in the desert are reddish in color. Females differ from males in larger size and weight. The plumage color of these birds is almost the same.

Only the polar owl of snow-white color differs in plumage. In females, brownish spots can be seen on the feathers.

The eagle owl has a rather large head and plumage that has typical signs. Its weight reaches 2 kg. In the area of \u200b\u200bthe auditory canals, you can see feathers that form a kind of auricles.

Birds have good hearing. But the eagle owl always perceives surrounding sounds with the help of feather ears 4 times stronger than other mammals. Its plumage has a reddish-yellow color. On the middle part of the back, as well as on the head, there are noticeable dark color longitudinal stripes. A bird, having such a combination of colors in its plumage, becomes completely invisible during the day. At dusk and at night, it is completely invisible during the departure for hunting.

The eagle owl's beak is bent in the shape of a hook, with very sharp claws it firmly holds the victim. He easily copes not only with small animals, but even with very large prey. He enjoys hunting roe deer and hares. Mountain goats, especially young ones, also attract his attention.

Hunting Features

Most owls start hunting only in the dark. But an eagle owl can easily get food for itself during the day. His high visual acuity allows rise to a great height when looking for prey. Usually its diet consists of pheasants, mice-voles, capercaillie and partridges that live in rare thickets, in open areas of the steppe and forest-steppe. With a large wingspan of a bird, these places are most favorable.

Some owls can settle in settlements under roofs and in the attics of houses. They are often found in city parks. In this they also differ from the owls.

The eagle owl is a sedentary bird, but often in winter and autumn it makes local migrations. Flies even in settlements and big cities. It was during this period that he most often gets into the eyes of a person.

An interesting fact: people sometimes seek to tame an owl. But he's pretty difficult to train. Sometimes even he can attack his master. The long-eared owl lends itself well to training.

In addition, there is also a fish owl. This is the namesake of the common. But they do not belong to the same group. It's easy to tell them apart. Fish does not have the characteristic feature of many owls - the facial disc. He was left with shapeless tufts of feathers, vaguely similar to sideburns. In the common eagle owl, the disk is clearly expressed and bordered by a strip.

The main thing difference between an owl and an owl in the following:

Eagle owl can perfectly exist in a variety of conditions. It even lives in mountains and deserts. Easily adapts to all weather conditions.

Owls for the most part prefer to live in wooded areas. But some owls (short owl) prefer open and spacious habitats.

The eagle owl is a very rare bird. It is very difficult to see her in the natural environment. It is listed in the Red Book as an endangered species.

Owls are predatory representatives of the class Birds belonging to the order Owls (lat. Strigiformes, or Striges). This detachment is represented by more than two hundred large and medium-sized species of birds, which are predominantly nocturnal, and are also quite common in almost all corners of the globe.

Description of the owl

According to their anatomical characteristics, all representatives of owls have significant differences from diurnal raptors, due to which they belong to an independent detachment.

The most important features of the owl skeleton:

the presence of characteristic processes on the main bones;
the presence of a kind of triple articulation of the skull with the lower jaw;
the presence of very short phalanges of the third finger;
the presence of pronounced mobility of the outer fingers, which are able to bend backwards;
the presence in a significant part of the species of a characteristic notch located along the posterior edge on the sternum.

Owl head can rotate 270°. This feature is explained by the presence of very peculiar extensions of the carotid arteries at the level of the lower jaw bone, which causes the creation of a blood supply and increases the number of small blood vessels that depart from large arteries. The connections of the carotid arteries have jumpers-anastomoses, thereby preventing too much compression of the vessels.

Appearance

Five rows of fairly stiff and feathered feathers form a radiant corolla, called the facial disk of owls. The flight feathers of the bird have rounded ends and a characteristic bend towards the body. Often there is a fringing or sawtooth serration of the outer webs on the first three feathers, due to which the owls fly almost silently. The third and fourth feathers are characterized by a pronounced length. The tail feathers on a cropped or noticeably rounded, most often short tail are also distinguished by a curvature towards the bottom. The legs are feathered almost to the base.

It is interesting! A significant part of the species belonging to the representatives of the order Owls has a very dull, grayish-rusty coloration with blackish or dark spots, stripes and mottles, which makes the plumage of owls in harmony with the surrounding nature, especially after dusk.

Sharp and long owl claws are also strongly curved, and the beak of such a feathered predator is bent, starting right from the base, and does not have any cuts along the edges. It ends with a shortened hook, through which the owl is able to produce a very characteristic click. A short cere is covered with bristly feathers. The eyes of an owl of any kind are quite large, looking straight ahead, which is explained by the location of the eye sockets on the front of the skull, and such a feathered predator sees the world around him exclusively in black and white.

Contrary to a fairly common but erroneous belief, an owl is able to see quite well during the daytime, because the eyes of such a bird do not have a special sensitivity to daylight. The pupil of an owl is distinguished by a noticeable narrowing and expansion, not only in conditions of changing light levels, but also in the process of inhalation or exhalation. The hearing of an owl is incredibly thin, much clearer than that of any representatives of the feline family. The comparatively large external ear is often covered by mobile and folded skin with plumage.

Character and lifestyle

There is currently no unequivocal answer to the question of whether an owl is a migratory bird, but basically the raptors of their order of owls prefer a sedentary lifestyle, and also prefer to settle exclusively in pairs. The main, peak activity of an owl occurs at night, so during the day such birds sit in nests or on tree branches.

It is interesting! In ancient times, owls were greatly feared and a meeting with them was often considered a very bad sign, associated with unfavorable mystical events, and it was for this reason that such birds were almost universally persecuted.

An exception is represented by snowy owls, which are able to show almost round-the-clock activity on polar days. Male and female owls pair up and spend their entire lives in such a marriage, but the period of pronounced courtship or mating games inherent in so many bird species is virtually completely absent in raptors.

How long do owls live

The average life expectancy of owls can vary from five to fifteen years and, as observations show, directly depends on the living conditions, species characteristics and size of the bird. Eagle owls are among the record holders for longevity. The world record was recorded in Sweden, where the life expectancy of one of the owls was as much as 24 years and nine months.

Owl species

The detachment includes a couple of families represented by owls, or real owls, as well as barn owls.

The subfamily True owls (Striginae) includes

genus scoops (Otus) are five dozen species, whose representatives are distinguished by an incomplete facial disc, as well as rather large feather “ears”, fingers bare or with harsh bristles. Birds are characterized by a reddish, brownish or grayish coloration with streaks;
genus Megassources- these are twenty-five species of birds of prey;
genus tawny owl (Strix) is twenty-one species, whose representatives have a body length in the range of 30-70 cm. This genus lacks feather ears, and the facial disc is characterized by good expression. The plumage is of a loose type, grayish or reddish in color with the presence of brown streaks;
genus eagle owls(Bubo) - these are nineteen species, whose representatives are nocturnal birds with a reddish-brown color with noticeable streaks. Feather "ears" are located on the sides of the head. The average body length varies between 36-75 cm;
genus neotropical owls (Pulsatrix
genus Fish owls (Scotorelia) are three types of birds of prey;
genus Fish owls (Ketura) are three species whose representatives are supposed to be included in the extensive genus Bubo;
genus White-faced owls (Рtilorsis) is a pair of species whose representatives sometimes belong to the genus of cutworms (Otus);
genus Cuban owl (Margarobyas) is a single species that forms the monotypic genus Margarobyas and is endemic to Cuba;
genus western american owl (Psiloscops) is a single species of birds of prey;
genus horned owl (Lorhostrich) is a monotypic genus inhabiting the forest zones of the south and central part of America;
genus African horned owl (Jubula) is a single species that forms the monotypic genus Jubula and is endemic to Africa.

The subfamily Asioninae includes

genus long-eared owls (Asia) - six species, whose representatives have a clear facial disk, as well as a yellow or orange iris. The wings are long and narrow, with the apex in the form of the second and third flight feathers. The species is distinguished by large ear openings covered with a leathery asymmetrical fold. The legs of the bird have plumage up to the claw;
genus Jamaican owl, or striped owl (Pseudossors) - species reaching a length of 28-35 cm and having a reddish plumage and a yellowish-gray beak;
genus Solomon long-eared owl (Nesasio) is a species that forms a monotypic genus, which previously belonged to the genus Long-eared owls.

The subfamily Surniinae includes

genus Needle-footed owls (Ninox) - thirty-three species, whose representatives have sparse and bristle-like feathers that form a covering of fingers. The length of the bird varies from 20 cm to half a meter. The lower edge of the beak is distinguished by a peculiar tooth;
genus sparrow owls (Glaucidium) - three dozen species, whose representatives have small body sizes, short wings and a long tail. The facial disc is characterized by poor development, there are no "ears", the eyes are small;
genus Rough-legged owls (Aegolius) - five species, whose representatives are similar in appearance to owls, but have densely feathered fingers, a shorter tarsus, relatively loose plumage, a larger head and a well-defined facial disc;
genus Owls (Athene) - three species, representatives of which are inhabitants of the most open landscapes, cities, rural areas, steppe zones, semi-deserts and deserts, as well as any rocky areas;
genus forest owl (Heteroglaux) - a species whose representatives are characterized by very small sizes and a body length within a quarter of a meter. The wing area is covered with whitish stripes. The main species differences are represented by very powerful fingers covered with white plumage. Sexual dimorphism is weakly expressed;
genus hawk owl (SurniA) - a species whose representatives are medium in size and have a long tail, and also differ in their eyes and yellow beak in the absence of characteristic "ears". The average length of the bird is 35-43 cm with a wingspan of 60-80 cm;
genus Owl Elf (Mirathene) - a species whose representatives were described back in 1861, and also differ in body length within 12-14 cm, with a weight of about 45 grams. Planting the body in a vertical direction, with a relatively large head and the absence of "ears";
genus Andean whisker owl (Xenoglaux) is a single species whose representatives are characterized by the formation of a monotypic genus;
genus papuan owl (Uroglaux) - a species whose representatives are a monotypic genus and differ in average size with a body length in the range of 30-33 cm, a small head, and a long tail. The wings are shortened, with a rounding. The facial disc is white, but juveniles are lighter in color than adults.

Thus, only three main subfamilies, which combine three dozen genera, are usually attributed to the Swine family.

Range, distribution

Scoop species have become widespread in Europe and Asia, as well as in Africa and America.. Representatives of the genus Splyushka are especially widespread in Europe. In our country, in addition to scops, in the Far East, eastern and collared scoops are also quite common, and in Central Asia and on the territory of Kazakhstan, one can observe the desert scoop.

It is interesting! Owls are representatives of a variety of biotopes, including taiga, as well as deserts and tropical forest zones, therefore, such individuals inhabit almost all continents of the world, with the exception of Australia.

Representatives of the genus Megassors are inhabitants of North, South and Central America, and the Tawny Owls are quite widespread in Europe, North Africa, as well as in Asia and in America. Neotropical owls inhabit the forests of South and Central America, and Fish owls - exclusively in Asia. Relatively numerous white-faced owls are quite widespread African inhabitants today, and Pseudossops are the exclusive inhabitants of the island of Jamaica.

Owl diet

Owls inhabit almost the entire globe, so the food of such predatory birds is mainly of animal origin, but it is distinguished by a large species diversity. , as the largest representatives of owls, feed exclusively on warm-blooded food, and rare echinopods prefer eating insects.

Without water, an owl is able to spend several months, and a sufficient level of fluid in the body of a bird of prey is provided by the fresh blood of the prey it eats. Owls hunt and, accordingly, feed, mainly in the dark.

The prey of the largest representatives of the order Owls can be represented by not too large foxes, and rodents, but also by almost any bird. For example, white snowy owls prey mainly on varieties, hares and not too large ones, and house owls are very active in eating all kinds of pests, including a variety of rodents.

Important! It should be remembered that owls never feed on carrion, and for the winter period, food supplies by such feathered predators are made directly in the nests.

Tiny elf owls eat only insects, and the diet of the owl is simply incredibly diverse. Barn owls, along with owls, prefer to settle near human habitation, where they exterminate a huge number of harmful rodents.

Roman Yakobson in his article "On the Linguistic Aspects of Translation" writes:
“The Russian artist Repin was surprised that German artists depict sin in the form of a woman; he did not think that the word "sin" in German is feminine (die Sünde), while in Russian it is masculine. In the same way, a Russian child reading German fairy tales in translation was surprised that “death” - an obvious woman (a word that has a feminine grammatical gender in Russian) - was depicted as an old man (German der Tod - masculine). The title of Boris Pasternak's book of poems “My Sister Life” is quite natural in Russian, where the word “life” is feminine; but this name drove the Czech poet Josef Hor to despair when he tried to translate these verses, because in Czech this word is masculine (zivot).
No wonder they pay attention to who translated the book. The names of some translators are as well known as the authors themselves: Boris Zakhoder, Anna and Peter Ganzen, Marina Boroditskaya, Zlata Potapova. But even such masters are not always able to fully preserve the original text. Most often it concerns trifles, but sometimes - things are much more significant.
A familiar scene: Alice's tea party in Wonderland. Here sit the Hat and the Hare, folding their elbows on the pretty little Sonya. A little later, when she takes a nap again, the Hat will splash tea on her muzzle. Of course, the inhabitants of Wonderland are not distinguished by good manners, but still, even they would not behave so familiarly with a lady in the Victorian era. And the thing is that in fact Sonya is not a lady at all. It's just that in Russian the word "mouse" refers to the feminine gender, and it is from here that confusion arises with the gender of the character.
Probably, most of the translators, including Boris Zakhoder, considered Sonya to be a less significant character, and therefore did not pay attention to the gender of some mouse. Only Andrei Kononenko, in his translation, considered it necessary to find another solution and offered his own version - Marmot. And there was no need to stand on ceremony with him. This marmot "juicy" snores, "bursting its face into a plate." And not at all fast asleep, worthy of Alice's sympathy, as was the case with Zakhoder.
A similar problem could arise with the Blue Caterpillar that Alice meets. After all, this word is the same as "mouse", feminine. However, this time Boris Zakhoder, who let in a purely male society at the table, in addition to Alice, another lady, considered the sex of the character more significant. He called the caterpillar a worm, and in doing so, solved the delicate gender issue.
Quite unexpectedly, the Owl from Alan Alexander Milne's book about Winnie the Pooh also turned out to be male. In the famous Soviet cartoon, she even wears a pink hat with ties, and Zinaida Naryshkina, who voiced her, endowed the Owl with the speech manners of a school teacher. Nevertheless, Milne's Owl is a young man, moreover, endowed with features characteristic of a particular type of the author's contemporaries. This is a parody of an English private school graduate, an arrogant upstart. Moreover, this is a parody, brought to the point of absurdity, because Owl actually did not even finish any school.
It can be assumed that the modern child should not go into the details of the socio-cultural life of England in the 19th century. However, the gender of the Owl turns out to be important for further understanding of the plot. The world of Winnie the Pooh is the world of boys. Until the very moment when Kanga bursts into him - an adult woman. She brings the same confusion to the company, as if someone's mother suddenly climbed into a tree house where younger students are secretive. And this explains the strange behavior of the heroes in the presence of Kanga and the desire to expel her from the forest.
It is for English Victorian society, in which the presence of a lady forced men to adhere to strict rules, that the theme of the invasion of a woman is especially relevant. This happens when Alice appears at the tea party and when Kanga comes to the forest. Such a theme is great for portraying the comic. But it is familiar and understandable not only to the British, and was only lost in the translation process.