Let’s hoot
They have asymmetrical ears, immobile tube-shaped eyes and heads they can rotate to 270°. If you were to see a group of them, you could refer to them as a “parliament” — thanks to C.S. Lewis and The Chronicles of Narnia.
Any idea what we are talking about? Yes, owls.
These mystifying, yet fascinating birds can be harbingers of bad luck or precursors of good times — depending on who you ask.
Ancient Greeks and Romans associated owls with the goddess Athena — hence, wisdom and prophecy. In parts of Africa, the Middle East and among some Native American tribes, owls are seen as bad omens. But, many European cultures see them as figures of wisdom. For the Ainu people of Japan they are gods, and as for the Hopi tribe of the American Southwest they are sacred.
International Festival of Owls from March 1 to 3 is set aside to celebrate the owl. The festival began in Houston, Minnesota, the U.S in 2003. It was a hatch-day party for Alice, the Great Horned Owl. Alice is an injured, human-imprinted owl (a form of learning in which an animal gains its sense of species identification) at the Houston Nature Center. The day teaches people about owls and provides a fun, family-friendly activity.
Now try to guess whether these statements are true or false.