OWLS 
(Strigifortnes) 
Naturalists of a- previous generation grouped all owls 
together with the vultures, eagles and hawk-like birds and to 
the heterogeneous assemblage thus created they applied the 
term **birds of prey" or "raptores". The raptores they 
divided into the diurnal birds of prey and the nocturnal birds of 
prey, the latter division of course including the owls. The 
harriers were supposed to represent a link between the two 
groups. In external appearance there are certainly many points 
of likeness between an owl and a hawk. Both have the strong 
curved beak and well-hent, cruel talons; but later research, 
chiefly anatomical, showed that the early classifiers were wrong 
and that with the superficial resemblance mentioned above the 
relation between the accipitres, as we now call the ditirnal 
raptores, and the owis was ended. 
The general appearance of a typical owl is familiar to most 
people. The *'face'* is curioitsly flat (facial disc) and the large 
eyes are directed to the front rather than to the sides as in 
most birds. The carriage of the body ts usually rather upright. 
The plumage is curiously fluffy or soft and the fi\g;ht compara- 
tively noiseless. As may be expected in birds largely of 
nocturnal habits, bright colours are not evident in the plumage 
and most owls are clad in a sombre dress of mottled greys 
and browns. 
Tufts of feathers or *^ears*' often adorn the top of the head 
and owls are furthermore peculiar in that the eye is shut by the 
upper eyelid closing down and not by the lower eyelid beinf^ 
raised which latter method is normal among birds. The 
majority of owls lay their eggs^ which are always pure white 
and almost roimd, in holes in trees. In the matter of food 
they are carnivorous. 
Owls are found in most parts of the world : the list of 
Peninsular species is a fairly long one and contains seventeen 
names, about half of which are recorded from Sinj^apore; only 
three species however arc really common on the island and 
these are all mentioned in detail below. 
[104} 
