24. Barn Owl Many people, and even some peoples, don’t like owls. No doubt they play unbecoming roles in legends; but are they really like that, or do people just think they are? They’re nocturnal, or crepuscular, and some people find that in itself suspicious. When you look at them, they do look right back at you in a rather accusing or even angry manner, or they seem to. Some can turn their heads nearly O 360 , which is unnerving. They can fly without making the slightest sound: evolution has fitted their wings with ‘silencers’, very light fluffy feathers that break up the air coming off their wings and prevent it from making noise. Some of their calls at night, including the screeching call of this Barn Owl, are eerie and mysterious, I admit. And if you’re a mouse or a spider large enough to make a meal, they are terrifyingly efficient hunters. On the other hand, in some other cultures, owls are said to be wise: when Hegel said, “The owl of Minerva flies only at night”, he meant philosophy. In reality like all other birds and animals, they are what they are, and the way that they are, because that’s what they do. Birds of AFRICAMA House 52 Birds of AFRICAMA House 53