Maybe you don’t give two hoots about owls - they are just a type of bird after all but they have an individuality about them that sets them apart from the rest. Just as the cuckoo has its own quirky ways and the swan has superior elegance, the owl is renowned for its wisdom and its keen powers of observation. No one can dispute the skill and perfection with which the owl swoops down on unsuspecting prey. 

Most people will be familiar with the following nursery rhyme which contains more than just a tad of good advice…

‘A wise old owl lived in an oak
The more he saw the less he spoke
The less he spoke the more he heard.
Why can’t we all be like that wise old bird?’

In the western world, owls are usually associated with wisdom (perhaps it’s that serious, scholastic look they have about them) this can be traced back to ancient Greece where the bird was revered and became the symbol of Athena, goddess of wisdom. However in Roman and Arabic culture the owl earned a reputation for being a bad omen and superstitions about the bird are still commonplace.

Why do owls freak people out? Maybe it’s the reflected glow from their unmovable eyes and the haunting call that pierces the silence of the darkest night which never fails to send shivers down your spine even though they are harmless enough creatures to encounter. Their hypnotic stare will stop anyone ‘Dead’ in their tracks and send them scuttling for the welcome light of the nearest house.

Many refuse to have owl ornaments in the home and legend and folk law abounds with mysterious stories and old wives’ tales of owls. The screech of an owl has been associated with death and necromancy and has given the bird a reputation for being a harbinger of evil and impending doom. Halloween would not be the same without owls and a witch usually has one as a faithful companion to fly alongside her on her broomstick.

In Native American Indian folk law owls can be the most inconsistent of birds, sometimes depicted as demonic and other times revered for their wise ways.

However you view this curious feathered creature which has been the subject of legend from the very dawn of time, they are majestic birds of prey who keep the environment free of vermin and have their positive part to play in maintaining the ecological balance. They deserve our respect and we need to preserve their natural habitat whether we harbour superstitions about them or not.