Owl Facts

Hailed for their supposed wisdom  and their appetite for pesky rodents  but derided as pests and subjects  of superstition, owls (families Tytonidae and Strigidae) have had a love/hate relationship with humans since the beginning of recorded history. There are over 200 species of owls, and they might date back to the days of dinosaurs. Fast Facts: Owls Scientific Name: Tytonidae, StrigidaeCommon Names: Barn and bay owls, true owlsBasic Animal Group: BirdSize: Wingspans from 13–52 inchesWeight: 1.4 ounces to 4 poundsLifespan: 1–30 yearsDiet:  CarnivoreHabitat: Every continent except Antarctica, most environmentsConservation Status: Most owls are listed as Least Concerned, but a few are Endangered or Critically Endangered. Description There are about 216 species of owls divided into two families: Barn and Bay owls (Tytonidae) and the Strigidae (true owls). Most owls belong to the group of so-called true owls, with large heads and round faces, short tails, and muted feathers with mottled patterns. The remaining dozen-plus species are barn owls, which have heart-shaped faces, long legs with powerful talons, and moderate size. Except for the common barn owl, which is found worldwide, the most familiar owls in North America and Eurasia are the true owls. More than half of the owls in the world live in the neotropics and sub-Saharan Africa, and only 19 species reside in the United States and Canada. One of the most remarkable things about owls is that they move their entire heads when looking at something rather than moving their eyes, like most other vertebrates. Owls need large, forward-facing eyes to gather scarce light during their nocturnal hunts, and evolution couldnt spare the musculature to allow these eyes to rotate. Some owls have astonishingly flexible necks that let them turn their heads three-quarters of a circle, or 270 degrees, compared to 90 degrees for the average human being. The tawny owl is just one of the more than 225 owl species in the world. Nick Jewell/Flickr/CC by 2.0 Habitat and Distribution Owls are found on every continent except Antarctica, and they also inhabit many remote island groups including the Hawaiian islands. Their preferred habitats vary from species to species but include everything from arctic tundra to marshlands, deciduous and conifer forests, deserts and agricultural fields, and beaches. Diet and Behavior Owls swallow their prey—insects, small mammals and reptiles, and other birds—whole without biting or chewing. Most of the unfortunate animal is digested, but the parts that cant be broken down—such as bones, fur, and feathers—are regurgitated as a hard lump, called a pellet, a few hours after the owls meal. By examining these pellets, researchers can identify what a given owl has been eating and when. (Baby owls dont produce pellets since their parents feed  them soft,  regurgitated food in the nest.) Although other carnivorous birds, such as hawks and eagles, hunt during the day, most owls hunt at night. Their dark colors make them nearly invisible to their prey and their wings beat almost silently. These adaptations, combined with their enormous eyes, put owls among the most efficient night hunters on the planet. As befitting birds that hunt and kill small prey, owls have some of the strongest talons in the avian kingdom, capable of seizing and grasping squirrels, rabbits, and other squirmy mammals. One of the largest owl species, the five-pound great horned owl,  can curl its talons with a force of 300 pounds per square inch, roughly comparable to the strongest human bite. Some unusually large owls have talons comparable in size to those of much bigger eagles, which may explain  why even desperately hungry eagles usually wont attack their smaller cousins. In popular culture,  owls are invariably depicted as extremely intelligent, but its virtually impossible to train an owl, while parrots, hawks, ​and pigeons can be taught to retrieve objects and memorize simple tasks.  People think owls are smart for the same reason they think kids who wear glasses are smart: Bigger-than-usual eyes convey the impression of high intelligence. This doesnt mean owls are especially dumb, either; they need lots  of brain power to hunt at night. Reproduction and Offspring Owl mating rituals involve dual hooting, and once paired, a single male and female will remain together through the breeding season. Some species stay together for an entire year; others remain paired for life. They dont typically build their own nests, instead, they take over nests abandoned by other creatures. Owls can be aggressively territorial, especially during the breeding season. Mother owls lay between one and 11 eggs over a few days period, with an average of five or six. Once laid, she does not leave the nest until the eggs hatch, some 24–32 days later, and, although the male feeds her, she does tend to lose weight over that period. The chicks hack themselves out of the egg with an egg-tooth and leave the nest (fledge) after 3–4 weeks. No one is sure why, on average, female owls are slightly larger than males. One theory is that smaller males are more agile and therefore more suited to catching prey,​ while females brood young. Another is that because  females dont like to leave their eggs, they need a larger body mass to sustain them for long periods without eating. A third theory is less likely but more amusing: Since female owls often attack and drive off unsuitable males during mating season, the smaller size and greater agility of males prevent  them from getting hurt.   CGander Photography/Getty Images Evolutionary History Its difficult to trace the evolutionary origins of owls, much less their apparent kinship with contemporary  nightjars, falcons, and eagles. Owl-like birds  such as Berruornis and Ogygoptynx lived 60 million years ago during the Paleocene epoch, which means it is possible that the ancestors of owls coexisted with dinosaurs toward the end of the Cretaceous period. The strigid family of owls broke off from tyronids and first appeared in the Miocene epoch (23–5 million years ago). Owls are one of the most ancient terrestrial birds, rivaled only by the game birds (e.g., chickens, turkeys, and pheasants) of the order Galliformes. Conservation Status Most of the species in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) are listed as Least Concern, but a few are listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered, such as the Forest Owlet (Heteroglaux blewitti) in India; the Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus) in North America, Asia, and Europe; and the Siau Scops-Owl (Otus siaoensis), on a single island in Indonesia. Ongoing threats to owls are hunters, climate change and habitat loss. Owls and Humans It  isnt a good idea to keep owls as pets, and not just because thats illegal in the U.S. and most other countries. Owls eat only fresh food, requiring a constant supply of mice, gerbils, rabbits, and other small mammals. Also, their beaks and talons are very sharp, so youd also need a stock of bandages. If that werent enough, an owl can live for more than 30 years, so youd be donning your industrial-strength gloves and flinging gerbils into its cage for many years. Ancient civilizations had widely divergent opinions about owls. The Greeks chose  owls to represent Athena, the goddess of wisdom, but Romans were terrified of them, considering them bearers of ill omens. The Aztecs and  Mayans hated and feared owls as symbols of death and destruction, while many Native American tribes scared their children with stories of owls waiting in the dark to carry them away. The ancient Egyptians had a kinder view of owls, believing that they protected the spirits of the dead as they traveled to the underworld. Sources Askew, Nick. List of Owl Species. BirdLife International, June 24, 2009.BirdLife International. Micrathene The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: e.T22689325A93226849, 2016.  whitneyi.BirdLife International. Bubo . The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: e.T22689055A127837214, 2017.scandiacus (errata version published in 2018)BirdLife International. Heteroglaux . The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: e.T22689335A132251554, 2018.blewittiBirdLife International. Aegolius . The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: e.T22689362A93228127, 2016.  funereusBirdLife International. Otus . The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: e.T22728599A134199532, 2018.siaoensisLynch, Wayne. Owls of the United States and Canada: A Complete Guide to their Biology and Behavior. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007.

Slavery And Its Effect On Society - 1801 Words

Slavery reached its highest level of infamy in eastern Europe and persisted for a time in the American colonies. Throughout history the best recollection of slavery appeared during the time when the African people first arrived to Europe and when the colonies had first developed into the earliest roots of the United States of America. Based on that statement one would believe that slavery had not existed before that time period or that the consequences and relevance of it had little historical, social, or economical importance. While some of this might be true, the act of enslaving other human being has existed for hundreds of before the Europeans ever reached and explored the continent of Africa. Proponents of slavery could argue that it is just a natural step in the evolution and development of civilized man. Historic data revealed that the African people form of enslavement on one another was drastically different then European and American way. Although slavery as we know it has been abolished, the consequences have had and will surely have everlasting effects on you, me and the future of every child. Slavery is defined as a person being owned by someone, a state of bondage, servitude, or work performed under harsh conditions for little or no pay. Both continental African slavery and external commercial slavery deprived people of freedom. Continental slavery focused on adding people to a group to be productive members of the society and for other reasons beside monetaryShow MoreRelatedSlavery And Its Effects On Society1440 Words   |  6 PagesSlavery spans to nearly every culture, nationality, and religion and from ancient times to the present day. Slavery was a legal institution in which humans were legally considered property of another. Slaves were brought to the American colonies, and were utilized in building the economic foundations of the new world. In the 18th century, new ideas of human rights and freedom emerged out of the European Enlightenment stretching across the Americas and Europe. By the era of the American RevolutionRead MoreSlavery And Its Effects On Society13 61 Words   |  6 Pageshuman beings. They did not like their circumstance of being another human’s property and understood that in order to survive, they had to accommodate what they could not change. The â€Å"Peculiar Institution† was named to lessen the harsh definition of slavery, which was delusional vision on the part of antebellum Southern capitalist. Masters valued slaves for the labor they produced and the amount of capital each one could generate, not necessarily as human’s with minds, souls, or emotions; any slaveRead MoreSlavery And Its Effects On Society898 Words   |  4 Pagesfreeing the slaves. In 1858, Lincoln stated that the United States had to become either an all slave country or all free country. By this time, the Union and the Confederacy have shown their opinions on bondage, with the union anti-slavery and the Confederacy pro-slavery. The United States could not be a half-free country and half -lave country otherwise the war would ha ve: one, been pointless because they would not have solved anything as well as lost lives without a cause, and two, the states whereRead MoreSlavery And Its Effects On Society Essay1743 Words   |  7 PagesLizeth Prieto Andrea Arevalo Ana Reza Alyssa Ruiz English 10 October 30, 2016 Dehumanized Humans Since the year 1619, slavery has been around, and there are thousands of victims that have been a part of this segregation. African Americans suffered and were mistreated throughout years, due to the existence of segregation of color. Individuals were treated like toys, objects, tortured, and killed for the fact of that their color of their skin is differentRead MoreSlavery And Its Effects On Society854 Words   |  4 Pagesyou had been robbed? 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A long time ago people realized that the slaves could be used to make a profit, and during the early 16th century, and sailors began to travel to Africa to get slaves. In the history of America from 1619 until July 1st 1928 slavery occurred within the countryRead MoreThe Effects of Slavery on Our Society Essay1050 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Slavery is an institution for converting men into monkeys.† What if all our rights were stripped from us when we wake up tomorrow? Slavery is something many of us can hardly imagine. Being bought and sold like a savage, getting treated like property, unprotected from slander and insults, being denied the basic rights of humanity, and being systematically subdued by society to think that you are no better than the dirtiest animals that live on the earth. Bread to work long grueling days, slaves leadRead MoreFrederick Do uglass s Narrative Of The Life Of Fredrick Douglass, An American Slave1434 Words   |  6 Pagesstory to a pre-Civil War American public, which had a tremendous effect on the views whites had about slavery and its role in American society. Douglass became a self-educated man as he grew up within the entanglements of slavery, but as a child he did not realize the effect that knowledge would eventually have on his life. His mistress, Sophia Auld, began teaching him how to read until his master Hugh Auld warned her against its effects on the regression of Douglass’s quality as a slave. In his renowned

Declaration of Independence Free Essays

Perhaps there is no other man in our history who has stressed the importance of the Declaration of Independence to our society except the former US President Abraham Lincoln. In his Gettysburg Address of 1863 he explained, â€Å"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. † Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776 drafted the Declaration of Independence declaring that the union with Great Britain should be dissolved. We will write a custom essay sample on Declaration of Independence or any similar topic only for you Order Now It was finally adopted on July 4, 1776. After years of colonial rule, the Thirteen Colonies declared that they were independent of the Kingdom of Great Britain. It is considered as a manifestation of our country’s yearning for freedom and our country’s most cherished symbol of liberty. The Declaration of Independence is divided into five parts: a) Introduction; b) Preamble; c) Indictment of George III, d) the Denunciation of the British People and e) the Conclusion. (â€Å"The United States Declaration of Independence†) The Introductory part basically declares that the Laws of Nature have given each and everyone of us the power to assume political independence. What is important however is that the basis for such independence must be reasonable. The Preambles declares that all men are created equal. In view of this equality, the government has no authority to violate the rights and dignity of every man. In case this happens, then revolution for violation of human rights becomes justified. The Indictment enumerates the countless violations and transgressions of human rights committed by the British Government against the Americans. The Denunciation declares that the American people have constantly pleaded for justice and magnanimity of the British government. No action however, was extended. As a result, revolution and declaration of independence is justified. II. The United States Constitution The Articles of Confederation was once the supreme law of the land for the United States Government. It was submitted for ratification on November 17, 1977 and was finally ratified on March 1, 1781. The Articles of Confederation was created during the American Revolutionary War. During those times, the different states were more concerned with the over-concentration of power in the national government and the possible abuse that may result. It is because of this reason that less authority was given to the national government. Further, the Articles of Confederation was considered very weak. Among its weaknesses are: a) the Congress could only request the states to pay taxes instead of levying taxes; b) there was no system of federal courts; c) the powers of the president are weak being limited to presiding over the sessions of Congress; d) there was no system of controlling trade between and among states. (Greg D. Feldmeth, 1998) In view however of the dissatisfaction by the people on some of the provisions of the Articles of Confederation, the Constitutional Convention was created for the purpose of proposing amendments to the Articles of Confederation. The members of the Constitutional Convention prepared the draft of the United States Constitution in Pennsylvania. It was then adopted in 1787 and took effect in 1789. Among the members of the Constitutional Convention who helped in preparing the draft are James Madison, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. If the Declaration of Independence was written for the purpose of declaring our liberty, the United States Constitution was ratified for the purpose of establishing the government of the United States. It sought to inform the people of the extent of the powers of the government while at the same time limiting these governmental powers. It also sought to establish a formal structure of government by dividing the powers of government into three: the power to make the law; the power to execute the law and the power to interpret the law. These three main powers of government were divided into three branches: a) the executive branch; b) the legislative branch and the judicial branch. How to cite Declaration of Independence, Papers Declaration of Independence Free Essays

Seamus Heaneys Portrayal Of Pain and Suffering Essay Example For Students

Seamus Heaneys Portrayal Of Pain and Suffering Essay Seamus Heaney was born on April 13th 1939. He lived on a fifty-acre farm called Mossbawn where his father worked. His fathers farm was in County Derry, Northern Ireland. Heaney was the eldest, he had two sisters and six brothers, when he was twelve he was awarded a scholarship at a catholic boarding school, Heaney left his farm and took up his post. The school was forty miles away from his home and subsequently saw very little of his family, despite his families absence Heaney claims that they were required for his poetry. In the poems that I have studied, Heaneys portrayal of his painful infant years and his dreadful recollections are showed in a variety of ways. Heaneys memories and feelings are always used as a background to his poems. As he wrote these when he was an adult, he adds a more mature, destructive attitude, showing the comparison between a childs innocent view and a more developed account. The first poem I studied was The Early Purges which is a reflection of Heaneys disturbing past. Heaney was exposed to, too much way to soon, consequently forcing him to grow up prematurely. The title is very thought provoking by itself, The Early Purges if something is early it has no time to prove itself and is still young and free from blame. Purges (verb) means to get rid of an unclean or impure element. Purge (noun) means a cleansing. So the title The Early Purges is an oxymoron as the meanings of the words contradict each other. The Early Purges could translate to The Young Traitors. The poem starts: I was six when I first saw kittens drown. Which introduces you straight to the poems subject. This first gives the wrong implication to the reader as this tragedy is portrayed as an accident. Heaney only being six years old, was shown things that most adults would cringe at the thought off. In the following line it is explained that it was no accident. Dan Taggart pitched them, the scraggy wee shits That name stuck in Heaneys mind for years, plus the exact phrase, a quotation straight from the mouth of Dan Taggart. Heany being a lover of nature, he could not see why this murder was taking place. He failed to grasp the fact of why these innocent kittens had to be killed. The word pitched is to throw, fling or toss with no care to the animals. Also the word pitch can mean to attack or assault. The shortage of care for an animal is extraordinary. These kittens were shown no dignity and Dan Taggart did not resent any of it. In Dan Taggarts speech he uses the word wee, which implies a different dialogue. Into a bucket Dan Taggart picked up anything that came to hand and used it, which happened to be a bucket; the word bucket is very blunt and gives more impact. A frail metal sound Using the word frail emphasizes the helplessness of the kittens. The contrast of definitions between frail and metal are antithetical, because metal is thought of, as a strong material so it being described as frail doesnt sound correct. The phrase demonstrates the fragility and minuscule size of the feline creatures. The second stanza describes the beginning of the execution. Soft paws scarping like mad The word soft again emphasizes the weakness of the feeble, powerless animals. Scraping like mad It is as if their life depends on it, but of course the fate has already been decided, death. But their tiny din as soon soused The phrase tiny din is another oxymoron; this shows that the kittens are bellowing but the sound is inaudible. The word soused has a double meaning, soused means to drench in water, which would physically make them unable to make a noise, and if you drown out a sound it can no longer be herd. Those two lines flow into each other like water flows (enjaberment). Again there is no respect towards the kittens slung onto the snout the use of alliteration in this verse (repeated Ss) gives the sound effect of the water splashing. The next stanza proves that Dan Taggart has convinced himself he has done nothing wrong. He asks the question to Heaney to try and persuade him to think that it is right, also to reassure himself. Heaney remembered that exact quote and memorized those words of absolute cruelty. Like wet gloves This phrase is very expressive, wet gloves are unwanted objects as you use them to keep warm and if they were wet they would be discarded. Some gloves are fleece, comparing with the fur of the kittens. The five-finger indentations of a glove may resemble the limbs of a kitten. They bobbed and shone till he sluiced A simile is used comparing them to wet gloves, and the words glossy and bobbed create a watery, wet effect. Most striking of all is the oxymoron glossy and dead. As glossy coat is usually seen as a sign of animal health, but as we no they are very far from health. The next stanza carries on from where the last one left, and is largely about death and the childs reaction to it. Suddenly frightened, for days I sadly hung Suddenly indicates that the consequences of the actions hit young Heaney all at once, then after it stayed in his mind for days after becoming his burden. The poet dreams EssayHeany writes this poem ehich reaches the readers heart. Fishermen at Ballyshannon Netted an infant last night Once again like in many of Heaneys poems the first stanza introduce the subject (Netted an Infant) and setting (Ballyshannon). The fisherman must have been distraught once they saw the baby in their nets. Along with the salmon This explains what the fisherman where fishing for, but it is an unpleasant way of finding a body among a load of fish. An illegitimate spawning This shows that the baby was not supposed to be their and one of the most extraordinary things you catch when you go fishing. A small one thrown back to the waters A small one obviously describes the baby, thrown back to the waters can mean two things, either it means like a small fish you throw it back because it is too small or because when it was in its mothers womb it was in her waters. But I am sure as she stood in the shallows Ducking him tenderly These lines show enjamberment and an oxymoron most of Heaneys poems show these elements repeatedly. The enjamberment is the three lines flowing into each other, and the oxymoron is Ducking him tenderly, how can you drown somebody tenderly? Could the she be his mother? If so what has happened to the mother who makes such an unspeakably horrible choice to drown her newborn son? And what religion can be so stern as to teach that illegitimacy is so unacceptable that a mother would choose to destroy her own child? Till the frozen knobs of her wrists Were dead as gravel frozen knobs I interoperated as the mothers hands, dead as gravel as in the sense that those hands killed somebody so they were dead, or because gravel is life less and doesnt move. What becomes of the mother who with freezing hands quietly drowns him? He was a minnow with hooks Tearing her open. This confirms that he was a burden to the young mother, a minnow again this shows that he was very small, delicate and innocent. She waded in under The sign of her cross. This translates to she walked deeper because of her religion, but what religion can force somebody to do such a thing? She would be made an outcast if she kept it, so she resorted to this. He was hauled in with the fish. I think that hauled is not the most appropriate word to use, as it give the impression that the baby was thrown, when I think it slowly floated away from the mothers arms. Now limbo will be Limbo being the edge of hell and far from heaven. The following stanza tells the reader that such a devastating action was carried out, that not even Jesus Christ , could not bring that young boys soul to heaven, as that action was done because of the mothers religion. Even Christs palms, unhealed, Smart and cannot fish there, Even Christ Himself feels his wounds and cannot draw near the drowning sight as though he never intended such an act to be performed under the sign of His cross. All the way through the poem references were made to fishing, as fishermen found the baby. E. g. Netted, small one thrown back, He was a minnow. After reading this poem it would be easy to be against the Catholic Church for its stern and dispassionate rejection of unbaptized infants from a permanent place in Heaven, but I think society in general must share the blame for its lack of support. It is too easy to pass judgment upon women particularly who find themselves in untenable positions, giving birth to children outside of a stable and supportive marriage. These are the very souls who most need the help of society. In societys defense, I would like to think we are becoming more accepting of children born out of wedlock, but nonetheless even today most single mothers have a hard life ahead of them. The last poem I studied on pain and suffering was Bye-Child. Bye-Child tells the story of a feral child found shut up in a henhouse, the ultimate symbol of ignorance, isolation and alienation. He is fed on scraps thrown through a trapdoor morning and evening. This image is an extreme dramatization of Irish poverty and deprivation. The child lives for the arrival of the scraps, his only link with the unnamed she (his mother? ) and for the sight of the lamplight in the window, the symbol of comfort and companionship from which he is inexplicably excluded. His uncomprehending patience is compared to that of a dog; he is kennelled and faithful. Despite the misery and neglect of his parents (their implies his mother has companionship), there is no resentment in his acceptance of his situation. He loves the light. The poem is written like a newspaper report because I believe that Heaney found the basis for this poem in a newspaper.