The big game is nearly upon us! But I have to tell you, this post is not about football, or when the Super Bowl kicks off. This is about the majestic bird of prey, the owl.
While many people believe owls to be generally nocturnal animals, if you want to catch a glimpse of one of them, you’re going to have to stay up late. That’s where we get the term “night owl” from, after all. But there a few breeds that are actually up and active during the day. As Live Science points out, some owls, like the northern hawk owl and the northern pygmy-owl, hunt for prey during the day. If you’re in the mountainous western side of North America, you’ll have more chance of seeing a pygmy-owl, but the northern hawk owl is generally only found in Canada. You might even catch some other owls out in the daytime, if they’re feeling peckish. Some owls, like the barred owl generally found in the eastern half of the US, are even known to hunt in the day or night, generally at dusk or dawn, according to the Audubon Society.
So if you want to know when the amazing owls are out and about in your area, don’t bother with Google. Instead, check out the Audubon’s field guide. But don’t forget: the Super Bowl this year starts at 6:30pm US Eastern time, on Feb. 3, if you wanted to watch that too.