bird- penguins and owls

Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern.

Anatomy: Penguins are about 2 feet (60 cm) tall; they weigh from 6.8 to 8 pounds (3.1-3.6 kg). The male is larger and has a longer bill than the female. There is a black stripe on the chest. Like all penguins, African Penguins have a big head, a short, thick neck, a streamlined shape, a short, wedge-shaped tail, and small, flipper-like wings. They have webbed feet which they use for swimming. Penguins are countershaded; they have a lighter color on the belly and a darker color on their back; this coloration helps camouflage them when they are in the water, hiding them from predators. hemisphere.

Feathers: Penguins have shiny, waterproof feathers that help keep their skin dry. They have more feathers than most other birds - about 70 feathers per square inch. Once a year, penguins molt, losing their old feathers and growing new ones. While molting (which takes about 3 weeks), they cannot swim and do not eat.

Diet: Penguins are carnivores (meat-eaters) who hunt in the sea. They eat fish (including sardines, sancord, and anchovies) and squid.

Reproduction: penguins nest by burrowing into guano (bird droppings) and sand. Females lay two eggs. The incubation period is from 38 to 42 days. Both parents guard the nest and feed the hatchlings regurgitated food. These penguins reach maturity at 3 to 4 years of age.

Populations: penguin populations are declining rapidly due to many factors, including: reduction of their food supply (by overfishing), pollution (from oil tankers), egg harvesting by people, disease, and guano (bird droppings) removal from their nesting grounds for use as a fertilizer.

Habitat: Penguin lives in colonies on 24 islands between Namibia and Port Elizabeth (Africa). New colonies have been established on the African mainland.

Owls

Owls are nocturnal hunting birds with eyes that face forwards. They are closely related to hawks. Owls sleep during the day and emerge at night to hunt small prey. There are about 162 different species of owls alive today, inhabiting a huge variety of ecological niches, from rainforests to tundra.
Anatomy
Owls have a large head and large eyes that face forwards (unlike other birds, whose eyes are on the sides of their head). This eye placement gives them binocular vision and very precise depth perception. Also, there are circles of radiating feathers surrounding each eye, giving them a wide-eyed, alert look. Owls cannot move their eyes within their sockets like we can. In order to look around, they have to move their entire head, which has a range of movement of about 270°. Some owls have feathered ear tufts; these are not ears, but are part of the owl's camouflage.
Flight
many owls have thick feathers that absorb the sounds that their wings make in flight.
Diet and Hunting
Owls are carnivores that hunt during the night (they are nocturnal). They use their keen sense of sight to find prey in the dark (owls see mostly in black and white). They have an acute sense of hearing which also helps in finding meals. Owls are stealth hunters, they can easily sneak up on their prey since their fluffy feathers give them almost silent flight. Owls have two methods of hunting

• Perch and pounce - the owl waits on a low tree branch until it spots prey. It then swoops down onto the prey. This method is used often by owls that live in relatively dense forested areas.
• Quartering - the owl flies low over the ground looking for prey. This methods is used often by owls that live in relatively clear landscapes.

Owls hunt and eat rodents, insects, frogs, and birds. The owl is at the top of the food web; it has no major predators. Owls eat smaller prey whole and larger prey in chunks. They eliminate the inedible parts (like hair, feathers, insect exoskeletons, and bone) in oval-shaped pellets.
Habitat and Range
Owls are found worldwide in a huge range of habitats from rainforests to grasslands to wooded areas to tundra.
Reproduction
Owls typically reach sexual maturity at about one year of age. Large species such as the Great Gray Owl may not begin breeding until they are 2 or 3 years old. Since most owls do not migrate, they are established in their territory year-round. This allows them to breed earlier in the year than most other species of birds. Some species breed as early as January, but the Snowy Owl waits as late as May to breed because of the cold temperatures of its northern range. Owls in the south breed earlier in the year than owls in the north. The breeding patterns of many owl species seem to relate to the availability of prey. If food is hard to come by for long periods, an owl may not breed until conditions are more favorable. Other factors that may affect breeding habits include weather, competition from other owls, and disease.

- The different of penguins and Owls can be diet habit, reproduction and anatomy. Owls cannot live near the ocean and they used to sleep at daytime and act at night time. They eat the food on the land and their hawk is short and small. But penguins cannot live without ocean, because their diet is from the ocean. Penguins are lay their eggs on the land but Owl lay their eggs on their nets.