Post by Zadkiel on May 21, 2016 12:21:40 GMT
The ancient Greeks considered them to be wise and paired them with Athena, the goddess of wisdom. But in India, they're thought of as dumb because of their blank expressions (That’s interesting, since owls' big eyes "see all" and therefore make them wise in Western culture). As it turns out, storytellers in India might be onto something - owls aren't nearly as brainy as we give them credit for. They're great hunters that can see and hear remarkably well at night; the feathers on their wings allow them to fly silently, catching prey by surprise. But in terms of bird brains, they don't score too highly on the smarts scale.
A bird's intellect is tied to how big its brain is compared with its body and crows are actually the smartest. Owls, with their relatively large bodies and puny brains, aren't as intelligent; they can't learn tricks as astutely as hawks or parrots can, for example. What brain power they do have is devoted to hunting, a sport at which they best even hawks. Owls aren't wise in general, but you could argue that they're smart about the important stuff.
A bird's intellect is tied to how big its brain is compared with its body and crows are actually the smartest. Owls, with their relatively large bodies and puny brains, aren't as intelligent; they can't learn tricks as astutely as hawks or parrots can, for example. What brain power they do have is devoted to hunting, a sport at which they best even hawks. Owls aren't wise in general, but you could argue that they're smart about the important stuff.
