Why are owls considered wise?

Among all the questions that arise in people’s minds about the mystery bird of the night, one common question is: Why are owls considered wise?

Owls have been counted among birds for centuries to be intelligent and thoughtful because of their large, round eyes and flat faces, but are owls smart or dumb indeed?

In many cultures, especially Western cultures, Athena, in Greece, is depicted with an owl as a symbol of the goddess of wisdom.

Besides, in Indian culture, the owl is the vehicle of Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth), a symbol of patience, intelligence, and wisdom.

In this article, I will elaborate on the factors why owls are intelligent which will develop your ideas about owls and grow interest in you.

Are Owls Intelligent?

Although owls have large brains in proportion to their bodies, they do not have developed brains like other mammals.

Indeed, owls are not as intelligent as we see the most birds in the world, like crows, parrots, mynas, ravens, jays, magpies, etc.

Several studies have been conducted on owls where they were asked to solve a variety of food puzzles, none of which they could solve.

However, like other birds, owls have average brain power, which is why it would not be logical to call them intelligent.

Owls are still considered by many to be intelligent birds for their hunting techniques, adaptation to the environment, and ability to hunt at night.

Why are owls considered evil?

Since owls are nocturnal and their faces are shaped differently than other birds, much like human faces, seeing them suddenly in a dark place at night causes fear in our minds.

According to various cultures, owls are believed to be harbingers of death or bad news. As in Roman culture, witches were thought to transform themselves into owls and suck the blood of children when given the chance.

Again to many Christian people, the owl is believed as a symbol of Satan or evil in Christian culture.

Owls are considered by many to be messengers of witches because of their nocturnal nature.

However, due to their unique lifestyle, owls may arouse many superstitions and fears in people’s imaginations, but in reality, they are not.

Why are owls considered intelligent?

Owls appear to be intelligent birds due to their mysterious physical characteristics.

Let’s take a look below at what physical characteristics they have to make them look smart:

Larger brain compared to the body:

Owls usually have large brains compared to their bodies, which may make them seem intelligent.

Owls have larger brains than other bird species, but they have average intelligence, not at an extraordinary level, like that of other common birds.

Acuity:

Their eyes are much larger than those of other species of birds, which is adapted for their better vision in low light.

They can easily locate prey in low light and make perfect attacks that make them appear intelligent.

Hearing:

Owls also have very keen hearing; they can locate prey using their sense of hearing without seeing in the dark.

Even in winter, when the number of prey decreases, owls can detect the slightest movement of prey in the wind and their hearing.

Even in areas where snow falls in winter, owls can easily do hunting activities under the snow, showing a certain level of intelligence.

Problem-Solving Ability:

Birds like crows, corvids, parrots, mynas, etc.

lack the ability to solve complex problems, but they can think creatively about how to escape from predators or open a nest box.

Adaptability:

Owls are highly adaptable, can live anywhere from forests to deserts except Antarctica, and prefer habitats where they can easily blend in with the environment.

Most intelligent owl species

Owls are full of general intelligence, like other birds found in the world. Studies on several species of owls have displayed them to be slightly more intelligent than other species of owls. Below, I will mention the names of some intelligent owls.

Barn owls:

For their ability to adapt themselves to hostile environments, Barn owls are one of the most common owl species in the world. Their ability to adapt to different environments and hunt perfectly in low light shows a form of intelligence.

Great Horned Owl:

The great horned owl is a large owl species known for its adaptability. Several studies have proved that they can learn and remember complex patterns, marking them as an intelligent owl species.

Northern Saw-whet Owl:

Despite being a small owl species, the Northern Saw-whet Owl is considered by many to be a sign of their intelligence due to their precise hunting techniques and securing habitats where they can easily camouflage themselves.

Barred Owl:

Barred Owl with its medium size is known for its efficient hunting techniques and its capacity to adapt to various challenging environments.

Snowy Owl:

The Snowy Owl is a white owl of large shape found mostly in Arctic regions. These species of owls can navigate longer distances than other species of owls.

Their ability to navigate and survive in hostile environments marks their strength for survival.

Tawny owl:

The tawny owl is counted as one of the most common small- to medium-sized owl species in Europe. This species of owl appears

 to be intelligent because of their ability to learn and follow complex patterns.

Eurasian Eagle-Owl (Bubo bubo):

The Eurasian eagle owl is one of the largest species of owls in the world. They are capable of catching and carrying much larger prey on their own.

Wise bird in the world

 Many people think owls are very intelligent for their size and physical characteristics, but they are not; they are just as intelligent as other intelligent birds.

Several species of birds are known as intelligent birds because of their ability to solve complex problems and their memory. The list of more intelligent birds includes:

crows:

Crows are found more or less on all continents. Their whole body color is completely black, but sometimes white crows can be seen, but they are rare.

Their shape is similar to that of a pigeon, and there are several species of them living around the world. They got their name because of the Crow Crow call.

They are counted among the smartest birds in the world known for solving complex problems.

Parrots:

Parrots can be seen in almost every continent except Antarctica. There can be many species of parrots, and they appear in a variety of colors. But the green parrot is the most visible.

Some species of parrots can learn languages, which is why people in many countries keep these birds as pets in captivity.

These birds are considered to be more intelligent and greater than that of other birds because of their ability to learn and sharp memory.

Myna Bird:

Myna birds are found more in the Asian continent. Apart from this, the myna bird can be seen on all the continents except Antarctica.

There live several species of hummingbirds. Their skin color is brown, the feathers near the head are black, the beak is yellow, and the ends of the eyes have yellow spots.

They are capable of learning and speaking any human language in captivity.

Ravens:

Ravens look a lot like ravens, but they are larger than ravens and have a larger bill and tail shape, more like a hawk.

They have several species distributed almost everywhere in the world, but several species are currently threatened.

Like crows, they are also able to solve complicated problems, which is why they are counted among the most intelligent birds.

Jays:

Jaybirds are medium-sized birds found in America, Europe, and Asia. There are many colorful species,  They are passerine birds belonging to the crow family, and that is the reason why they are intelligent like crows.

They are popular for their beautiful voices and can solve complex puzzles easily. It is good news to know that it is not currently considered to be an endangered species of birds

Magpies:

Magpies are the most intelligent birds in the Corvidae family. Which one can view in several parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America.

Their bodies are covered with black and white feathers. The Eurasian magpie appears to be the most intelligent bird among its many species. They are known for their melodious song lyrics and intelligence.

Are owls Smarter than chickens?

Although owls are not listed as the smarter birds, they are smarter than most other birds. 

If you draw a comparison of the intelligence of chickens with that of owls, then owls are more intelligent than chickens. 

Owls’  heads are shaped larger compared to their bodies, whereas chickens’ heads are smaller in comparison to their bodies. 

Although it is difficult to check the level of intelligence of these two birds, it is possible to ascertain how much their intelligence differs from other birds through several tests. 

Various intelligence tests on owls and chickens have ensured that owls have a better ability to learn and solve complex patterns than chickens with their strong memory.

Are owls Smarter than eagles?

Owls and eagles, two species of birds, are best known as birds of prey. One is a night hunter, and the other is a day hunter.

However, there are various questions that many people have about their intelligence, one of such questions is whether owls are smarter or stupider than eagles.

It is very difficult to measure the accurate level of intelligence of these two species of birds.

However, two species of birds have been tested on problem-solving, learning, and memory abilities.

It has been found that these two species of birds have almost equal intelligence.

One species hunts with their senses more alert at night, and the other species is known to hunt with their senses more alert during the day.

Are owls Smarter than crows?

Regarding the answer to the question of which bird is more intelligent, a crow or an owl, it can be said that the name of the crow is listed in the first line of intelligent birds.

Crows are capable of clearing difficult intelligence tests and sorting out various puzzles with ease.

We have heard stories about the intelligence of various types of crows since childhood, one of which is “the thirsty crow.”

On the other hand, to understand the level of intelligence of owls, it can be said that, like other common birds, owls have completely normal intelligence.

Among owls and crows, crows are more intelligent. However, ravens are more intelligent than crows, as they are known to solve difficult puzzles easily.

Are owls Smarter than dolphins?

We enjoy watching dolphins performing various games with humans. Games that are enjoyed by everyone, from kids to adults.

To measure the level of intelligence of dolphins, researchers have conducted a variety of studies, showing that dolphins can work out problems much like humans and they have feelings of empathy, creativity, self-awareness, suffering, joy, and humor.

Dolphins are very friendly and can be seen making friends with humans easily. They are even seen copying the various body postures of humans.

Various IQ tests have displayed that dolphins are next to humans in terms of intelligence living on Earth. So, dolphins are considered to be the second-most intelligent animals living on earth after humans.

Are pigeons Smarter than owls?

In earlier days, the kings of many countries used to send letters by pigeons to exchange news. Pigeons have the quality that, when they are taken to a new place, they can return to their old home by recognizing the path.

Although pigeons are not named on the list of very intelligent birds, they are more intelligent than early birds. That is why they are more intelligent than an owl.

Their navigation ability is more accurate than that of other birds, especially when traveling by air.

Besides that, they are less noisy by nature than other birds, therefore they are considered a symbol of peace in many countries.

Most intelligent owl species

All owl species have complete general intelligence, like other birds. However, some owl species appear more intelligent than other owl species based on their adaptability, hunting skills, and ability to learn complex patterns.

All of these owls have been specified as more intelligent owls after various experiments in captivity. The owls that make up the list of more intelligent owls are as follows:

• Great-horned owl
• Snowy owl
• Eurasian eagle-owl
• Barn owl
• Tawny owl

Are owls Smarter than other birds?

Owls are considered to be more intelligent than other birds for their physical structure, and for that reason, many of us think owls are smarter than early birds.

Owls are likely to have the same general intelligence as early birds. Various tests to check the intelligence level of owls in several places such as zoos, owl research centers, etc. have displayed that owls are not as intelligent as crows or ravens, known as intelligent birds.

Crows are capable of using a variety of oars to gather their food and can quickly solve a variety of complex problems, whereas owls are not able to solve such complex problems easily.

FAQs

Q. What an owl is considered to be?

Ans: An owl may appear to be intelligent due to its behavior, but it is as intelligent as any other normal bird.

Q. Why are owls associated with Athena?

Ans: Owls are associated with Athena, the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom, due to their ability to navigate and hunt in the dark with their keen senses.

Q. Why are owls considered intelligent in India?

Ans: The vehicle of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, the owl, is a symbol of patience, intelligence, and wisdom. That’s why owls are considered intelligent birds in India.

Q. Why are owls considered smart?

Ans: Owls seem smart because of their skillful hunting techniques at night and their ability to blend in with their environment, but they are not that smart.          

Q. Are night owls more intelligent?

Ans: Night owls have complete general intelligence, like early birds. However, compared to other birds, owls’ senses are more alert at night.

Conclusion

Hopefully, you have got a proper answer to the question, Why are owls considered wise? Owls are counted as mysterious birds having diverse natures, which is why some people like us are inquisitive to know about their various facts.

To know other posts about such different facts about owls, you can go through my other articles or share them with your friends.

If you have any further questions about owls, you can put them down in my comment box, and I will try to answer your valuable questions as soon as possible.