Q 01/05

What is unusual about how an owl's eyes sit in its skull?

A) They cannot move at all.

B) They glow faintly in the dark.

C) They can see infrared light.

D) They change colour with mood.

Answer · why

A) They cannot move at all.

Bony sclerotic rings hold the eyes rigid, so an owl must swivel its whole head to look around.

Q 02/05

Owls are nocturnal yet do NOT rely on which low-light navigation method?

A) Magnetic sensing

B) Ultraviolet vision

C) Echolocation

D) Infrared detection

Answer · why

C) Echolocation

Instead of sonar they lean on enormous forward-facing eyes and precise directional hearing, which is why they can hunt in near-total darkness.

Q 03/05

Which large owl with prominent ear tufts and orange eyes lives across much of Eurasia?

A) Great Horned Owl

B) Eurasian Eagle-Owl

C) Snowy Owl

D) Barred Owl

Answer · why

B) Eurasian Eagle-Owl

Females can reach 75 cm long with a 188 cm wingspan, and the species is also one of the most widely distributed owls, with a range of about 51 million...

Q 04/05

What are the compact masses of indigestible prey remains that owls expel called?

A) Scat

B) Pellets

C) Cuds

D) Boluses

Answer · why

B) Pellets

Because owls swallow prey whole when they can, the bones, fur and scales come back up compacted, which is why researchers pick pellets apart to study ...

Q 05/05

What collective noun is commonly used to refer to a group of owls?

A) A parliament

B) A convocation

C) A muster

D) A flock

Answer · why

A) A parliament

The word comes from English venery, the old tradition of fanciful collective nouns for animals; in practice most owls are solitary birds.