Chinese fossil shows owls ‘rejected night for fun in the sun’
"Extinct owl that lived millions of years ago was active in daytime, researchers say after study of skeleton fossil found near Tibetan Plateau Analysis of bird bones and behaviour reveals the owl had an ancestor that evolved from nocturnal habits, they say."
Powerful owls are gentle giants stalking our suburbs, but they are also on the edge
"How shop-bought rodenticides could be threatening Australia’s powerful owl – video Such encounters are fortunately rare. “It is kind of a double-edged sword. If someone cares about something, they are more likely to take steps to protect it,” Isaac says. “It is good that people care about them, but we do have to limit our impact to the environment that they’re relying on, and also try not to cause those shifts in behaviour.”
‘It’s astonishing’: endangered bat not seen in 40 years found in Rwanda
'A critically endangered species of bats not sighted in 40 years has been found in Rwanda, with the “incredible” discovery delighting conservationists who had feared it was already extinct.'
Owls are helping winemakers stay away from pesticides.
"Winemaking is a delicate and millennia-old craft. To achieve a desirable product, vintners have to pay close attention to soil, rain, heat, and sunlight. Mice and gophers are other problems that vintners often turn to rodenticides to solve. In a bid to provide a more natural solution, a team of students at Humboldt State University in California is testing the efficacy of a centuries-old practice: using owls to hunt pesky rodents."
"Venomous spider, noble false widow found feeding on bats in UK attic"
"The eight-legged venomous menace known as the noble false widow was found sucking the guts out of a baby bat."
Thousands of owls are killed on Diwali annually.
"It’s a sad irony that come Diwali and while Goddess Laxmi is widely worshipped and the faithful believe that Goddess Laxmi (Goddess of Wealth) enters their house on the day of Diwali, her vehicle the Owl is sacrificed in thousands that day due to occult practices. Age-old myths and superstitions surrounding owl sacrifice lead to a virtual drop in the owl population of the country."
