Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes, which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers adapted for silent flight.
It’s the story that the bird can rotate its head 180deg to see its back fully like its master. Interesting and shocking at the same time.
The owl is an Asian Barred Owlet aka Cuckoo Owlet (Glaucidium cuculoides), one of a group of “pygmy owls” native to both the Old and the New World. All have poorly developed facial disks for sound based hunting, and rely more on vision when hunting than most owls.
Despite their small to tiny size, they have very powerful feet for their size, and unlike many other small owls, rarely eat insects, but prey almost entirely on birds and mammals, including victims considerably larger than themselves. They start hunting well before sunset and often hunt during the day.
The covering with the wings is “mantling”; it braces the raptor against struggling prey, and conceals victims from opportunistic competitors while simultaneously making the raptor look larger and more to those who would challenge it for prey, or to songbirds mobbing the predator. To add to this effect, many Glaucidium owls have fake eyespots on the back of their head (these are lacking in the Asian Barred Owlet).
