I believe every living being was created with a specific purpose and the owl’s purpose is to spy. Facts that support this notion:
1. Camouflage
Owls nest on trees that match the color of their feathers (see image below). It startles people to finally notice they’ve been watched by an owl.
They elongate their bodies to mimic cones and branches. If they then close their eyes, no human or animal notices their presence.
2. Deception
Some species have plumage “eyes” on the back of their heads to fool others into thinking they’re watching from behind.
Their strength is usually underestimated – even pygmy owls can take out animals twice their size.
3. Silent Flight
The owl is the only bird that can fly in complete silence.
Their feathers are inaudible even to animals and people with ultra-sensitive hearing.
This fact is so astonishing that engineers have studied owls so that they can make quieter aircraft and drones for some spying of their own.
4. Radar Ears
Owls have asymmetrical ears – uneven ear openings with one higher than the other. This lets them pinpoint sounds in three dimensions by detecting microsecond differences in sound-arrival time. They can locate other animals in complete darkness, under snow, in fog, etc.
Owls create a mental “sound map” similar to sonar. Barn owls have some of the best hearing of all animals. Unlike humans and animals they suffer no hearing loss in age, regenerating hair cells in their ears.
5. Telescope Eyes
Owls don’t have eyeballs but tubular fixed eyes similar to telescopes.
Their eye-tubes are so big they make up to 5% of an owl’s body weight. If humans had eyes this big they would have the size of grapefruits.
Their sight is superior to human sight in low-light detection and motion.
Their translucent eyelids allow them to protect or “close” their eyes without losing vision.
Their eye color changes corresponding to different ways of seeing, depending on light conditions. They can spot small prey half a mile away.
6. Rotating Heads
They can swivel their heads 270-Degrees without moving their body and without brain damage. This means quick detection of anything in their surroundings.
7. Air, Land and Sea
Owls are one of the few animals that can fly, run and swim.
All of these qualities combined are needed for being a spy. Radar eyes, radar ears, radar head, operating in air on land and the sea, absolute silence, seeing in the dark, camouflage, deception – if I listed these qualities without context, you’d think I’m talking about a spy, not an animal.
This then, is why ancient folklore considers owls “messengers of secrets”.
