Owl

Owls are birds of prey. There are over 200 species of owls. They normally feed on small animals, insects, fish and other birds. Owls do not make nests, instead sheltering inside trees, ground burrows, caves and barns. Though owls do not live in flocks, the term for a group of owls is a parliament. The study of owls is called ornithology. Fossil records show owls as being the earliest existing bird after the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Normally, owls are nocturnal and keep to themselves, but in the wizarding world they serve many needed functions.

Postal Workers


Owls are enlisted to aid communication between wizards. Letters, parcels, and Howlers are all delivered this through owls. Serrations on an owl's flight feathers reduce the noise of flight, coupled with their natural camouflage, making them ideal for delivering letters.

Owls must be trained to carry letters. Possibly only certain owls with attunement to magic can be trained for this purpose. Possibly they are trained by wizards who can talk to animals.

Owls are employed for commercial purposes, such as the Owl Post Office, and the delivery of newspapers and magazines such as the Daily Prophet and The Quibbler. The Ministry of Magic formerly employed owls for interdepartmental memos, but switched to enchanted paper airplanes because owls made too much of a mess.

Postal owls all have different jobs, but it is the duty of a scops owl for local deliveries only, as they are small and weak fliers.

Breeds
The smallest owl is the Elf Owl which lacks the feathers for silent flying. The Pygmy Owl is slightly larger than the Elf but with serrated feathers. The Eurasian Eagle Owl has curvy feathers on its brow and ears. This is possibly the breed of the "hawk-like owl" which was part of the Lovegood family. The Snowy Owl is native to the Arctic and grows brown feathers in the summer.

Known Owls

 * Hedwig - companion to Harry Potter
 * Errol - Weasley family
 * Hermes - belongs to Percy Weasley
 * Pigwidgeon also known as "Pig" - Ron Weasley
 * Hawk-Like Owl - presumably companion to the Lovegoods
 * Malfoy's Eagle Owl - companion to Draco Malfoy and or his family.
 * Longbottom Family's Barn Owl.

Behind the scenes

 * During the production of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, an attempt was made to train bats to carry letters but this was abandoned because bats urinate during flight.
 * It took trainers three months to train owls to carry letters for the films.
 * In April, 2009, a falconer whose owls starred in the Harry Potter films admitted a string of animal cruelty offences.
 * In many legends, owls represent death.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Notes and references
Eule Hiboux