Owls are fascinating birds that have long been associated with wisdom and mystery. They are found all over the world and come in a wide variety of species, each with its own unique characteristics and behaviors. There is a wide range of owl trivia questions that can be asked, whether you're a bird watcher or someone who is simply interested in these intriguing animals.
Here are some examples of owl trivia questions you might come across: What is the largest owl species in the world? How do owls locate their prey? What is the average lifespan of an owl? What is the name of the smallest owl species in the world? These questions cover a wide range of owl's physical characteristics, behavior, and habitat.
In addition to the physical characteristics of owls, there are also many fun and interesting facts to learn about them. For example, did you know that the largest owl species in the world is the Eurasian eagle-owl? Or that some owls have asymmetrical ears, which helps them locate prey more accurately in the dark? These trivia questions will not only test your knowledge, but also give you a glimpse into the many fascinating aspects of owls, their unique adaptations, hunting habits and their place in different cultures and myths.
139 Owl Trivia Questions Ranked From Easiest to Hardest (Updated for 2024)
- "Delightfully tacky, yet unrefined" is the slogan of what restaurant chain with an owl in its logo?
Answer: Hooters
- Hedwig the owl from Harry Potter is what species of owl? The species gets its name from its white coloration, and from living in arctic climates.
Answer: Snowy Owl
- The wise owl on the label could tell you: Hatachino Nest Japanese Classic Ale is brewed in cedar casks previously used to brew what rice-based alcoholic drink?
Answer: Sake
- A reincarnation of the sage Rauru, the owl Kaepora Gaebora appears in the "Ocarina of Time" and "Majora's Mask" editions of what video game franchise?
Answer: The Legend of Zelda
- The Little Owl, sometimes called the Owl of Athena, is the national bird of which Mediterranean country?
Answer: Greece
- Some of the earliest known depictions of owls come are drawings on the walls of the Chauvet Cave, in the southeastern portion of what European country?
Answer: France
- The Tasmanian masked owl's scientific name is Tyto novaehollandiae castanops. The "castanops" comes from its facial resemblance to what roasted holiday nut?
Answer: Chestnut
- It sounds like the “floppy” you used to put in a computer back in the day, but which part of an owl’s feathery facial anatomy is what allows them to adjust their hearing?
Answer: Disk
- “Mr. Big” is the animated green owl mascot of what American educational tech company that was founded in 2011 and specializes in training its users how to speak different languages?
Answer: Duolingo
- Reminiscent of something that might be used by someone with alopecia, what was the name of the snowy owl which Harry Potter received as an eleventh birthday present from Hagrid?
Answer: Hedwig
- Owls are divided into two families. The Strigidae family are common, or typical, owls. The Tytonidae family, however, share their common name with what farm building?
Answer: Barn
- Ornimegalonyx is an extinct genus of flightless owl, believed to be the largest owl to have ever existed, that lived in which country whose main island is the largest in the Caribbean?
Answer: Cuba
- Owls live in lots of different habitats all around the world, but there is one continent on which they are not naturally found - which one?
Answer: Antarctica
- Like many other birds, the feathers on an owl’s body replace themselves about once a year. What’s the name of the process?
Answer: Molting
- A legendary 1970 TV commercial features an owl who helps to answer the question, "How many licks does it take to get the center" of what candy brand?
Answer: Tootsie Pop
- The eyes of owls are fixed in their sockets, forcing them to turn their heads around. This is what “B” type of two-lensed vision, the singular of a optical enhancer used by birdwatchers, or maybe people at the baseball game?
Answer: Binocular
- Like other birds, owls can carry diseases that can make humans sick. One fairly common example is which bacteria that you might associate with food poisoning from runny eggs or occasionally peanut butter?
Answer: Salmonella
- Hermes, Errol, and Pigwidgeon are three of the many pets in a famous series of books. What type of animal are all of these named companions?
Answer: Owls
- A large-eyed owl face, outlined in black on a bright green circular background, is the logo of what travel ratings company?
Answer: TripAdvisor
- A story of an owl who frightens anyone who ventures into a barn where it has nested appears in the 1857 collection of fairytales by Jacob and Wilhelm, two brothers with what last name?
Answer: Grimm
- What is the most widely distributed owl species in the world? It is found on all continents except Antarctica, everywhere except polar and desert regions.
Answer: Barn owl
- Archimedes is a talking pet owl who lives with the elderly wizard Merlin in what 1963 animated movie?
Answer: The Sword in the Stone
- A saxophone-playing owl named Hoots was a recurring character on what show, until removed for its 32nd season in 2001?
Answer: Sesame Street
- Lakshmi is one of the principal goddesses in a certain religion, and her vahana (mount) in that religion is an owl. What is this religion?
Answer: Hinduism
- Sexual dimorphism is a physical difference between males and females of a species. Which sex of owls are typically larger?
Answer: Females
- In Winnie the Pooh, the character owl has (of course) black pupils. What color are Owl's eyes around the pupils? In humans, this is called the sclera and it's white.
Answer: Yellow
- In 2020, a Saw-Whet owl with what name was accidentally taken along with a tree for the NYC Christmas Tree lighting ceremony, but was rescued, as seen in Kimberly Dwyer’s children’s book about his “Christmas Journey?” His name is a shortened version of the famous Center where the tree went.
Answer: Rocky
- What medium to large sized owls can be found in Australia, New Zealand, and Flinders Island? Its dark colors, with little pockets of white, makes it look it was covered with some dark stuff, maybe from a chimney.
Answer: Sooty Owl
- Owls' flight feathers are serrated, like a comb, which greatly reduces what "t"-named phenomena, which lessens sound when the owl is flying, making their flight almost silent?
Answer: Turbulence
- The last widely accepted sighting of a certain bird species was in 1662 on the island nation of Mauritius. Intriguingly, due to the bird's remote home, the creature was considered mythological for a period of time. What is this bird?
Answer: Dodo
- There is a species of owl which frequently has simple tufts of feathers on the top its head mistaken as ears. In fact, this species has its ears on the sides of the head in the usual locations for owls. What is this species?
Answer: Great Horned Owl
- Not all owls hoot. What type of owl, that sounds like it belongs on the farm, is known to hiss?
Answer: Barn Owl
- Big Mama is the kindhearted owl who first finds Tod, an orphaned kit, in what 1981 Disney film whose title characters are best friends despite their species being natural enemies of each other?
Answer: The Fox and the Hound
- In 2022, British researchers theorized that the tail of what “B” owl may be adapted into the tail of drone designs?
Answer: Barn Owl
- The serrated edges on the edge of the flight feathers for most owls confer what evolutionary advantage that aids in hunting?
Answer: Muffles sound (makes them silent flyers)
- The collective name for a group of owls is a parliament. The term originated in what series of children's books written by author C.S. Lewis?
Answer: The Chronicles of Narnia
- In Greek mythology, the owl was the symbol of what goddess of wisdom?
Answer: Athena
- The great horned owl is the official bird of what landlocked Canadian province at the top of the Rockies?
Answer: Alberta
- Owl is the straightforward name of the talkative "elder" in what children's book? He often presents himself as a teacher who has wisdom to share with the younger characters.
Answer: Winnie the Pooh
- Ancient writer Pliny the Elder wrote that owl's eggs were a common cure for what condition? Other animal-adjacent cures for this condition might include the "hair of the dog."
Answer: Hangover
- If a tourist’s poo turns a bit red during a visit to Ukraine, they might have been eating what beet-based soup they call their national dish?
Answer: Borscht
- The preserved body of Athena the owl is on display at a London museum that's named after whichbird-named founder of modern nursing?
Answer: Florence Nightingale
- The Burrowing Owl is the National bird of which Caribbean country, which start and end with same letter and is technically part of the Netherlands?
Answer: Aruba
- An owl’s eye looks shiny due to a light-catching a layer called the tapetum lucidum that is behind what structure that’s full of rods?
Answer: Retina
- Funny, it doesn't look like David Bowie: a barn owl is one of the forms of Jareth the Goblin King in what twisty 1986 fantasy film?
Answer: Labyrinth
- Otus bengalensis is the scientific name for a type of eagle-owl collected in the northern part of what giant Southwest Asian country?
Answer: India
- In Greek mythology, Ascalaphus was transformed into a short-eared owl as punishment for telling the gods that what deity, the daughter of Demeter, had eaten pomegranate seeds in Hades, and thus was forced to return there for half the year?
Answer: Persephone
- There is a Native American tribe that viewed owls as a protective symbol from danger. This tribe share its name with the setting of the TV show "Parks and Recreation." What is this tribe?
Answer: Pawnee
- Although they may be unlikely to collaborate with rock band Funkadelic in the near future, a group of owls is officially known as a what?
Answer: Parliament
- Which large owl that’s one of the most common in North America has a signature call that sounds like it’s asking, “Who cooks for you?”
Answer: Barred Owl
- Some night owls have two sensing organs on their head set at different heights to better pinpoint the location of their prey. What are these offset organs?
Answer: Ears
- Which part of an owl’s body is not a “true” organ in the sense that it can’t move? (It’s also not shaped as you’d expect—it’s tubular instead of round).
Answer: Eye
- The stage in a young owl's life between hatching and leaving the nest goes by what totally acceptable F-word?
Answer: Fledging
- Not related to Gandalf, the tallest North American owl is a "Great" owl named for what color of its plumage?
Answer: Grey
- Hoots the Owl is a jazzy saxophone-playing bird on what alliteratively named kids' TV show?
Answer: Sesame Street
- A white owl is featured prominently on the cover of "Fly By Night," a 1975 album from what Canadian progressive-rock band?
Answer: Rush
- What is the "double M" name of the large owls found in Indian gardens and forests easily detected by their eerie calls at dawn and dusk? If you're looking for the scientific name, it's Strix ocellata.
Answer: Mottled Mood Owls
- What five-letter word can either mean a young owl of any species, or a specific type of owl found in Asia and Africa?
Answer: Owlet
- First from Greek mythology, which metaphorical owl "flies only at dusk" according to G.W.F. Hegel? The phrase was symbolic of Hegel's belief that conversations of wisdom and philosophy were best held at night after the day was through. In the bird world, this is the nickname of the Little Owl.
Answer: Owl of Minerva
- Who was Sonic's owl caregiver in the "Sonic the Hedgehog" movie? She was "basically Obi-Wan Kenobi, if Obi-Wan Kenobi had a beak and ate mice."
Answer: Longclaw
- An owl can tell when it’s caught prey thanks to special bristle-like, barbed feathers on its feet and beak. What’s the name for these feelers?
Answer: Filoplumes
- Sometimes called “The Phantom of the North,” which breed of owl is known as the largest in the world by length, wears a white “bow-tie” under their beaks, and has such powerful ears that they can hear prey even under several feet of snow? (Hint: Their scientific name is Strix nebulosa)
Answer: Great Grey Owl
- What type of owl, whose name could be related to its colour or typical habitat, is also known as the Arctic Owl?
Answer: Snowy Owl
- Which species of owl is one of the only ones you’re likely to spot during the day and has a name that references the tufts of feathers on their head that makes it look like they have human hearing organs? (Hint: This owl’s “long” relative is more likely to fly at night than during the day)
Answer: Short-eared
- Glimfeather, a talking owl from the 1953 children's novel The Silver Chair, lives in what fictional land?
Answer: Narnia
- Ninox strenua is the largest owl on the continent of Australia and a territorial hunter. The males of the species are strong and dominant, thus living up to the owl’s common name—which is what?
Answer: Powerful
- Owls of three of which eye structure? (Hint: One is for keeping the eye clean, one is for sleeping, and one is for blinking)
Answer: Eyelid
- Which screech owl species has a spicy name thanks to its warm red-brown coloring?
Answer: Cinnamon
- In Oregon, the Spotted Owl is threatened by which other owl that used to be mostly in the eastern U.S., but has moved west in the last few decades?
Answer: Barred Owl
- Which type of woods-dwelling screech owl makes a series of fast “ho ho hos” hoots when it calls? (though, if you’ve ever heard it, you’re lucky since this species is becoming less and less common in the U.S. each year).
Answer: Whiskered
- You’ve got your fastest-flying owl (Great Horned), your quietest practically silent owl (barn owl), and then there’s which owl that is the heaviest in the world at about 10 pounds?
Answer: Eurasian Eagle Owl
- What owl is informally known as the cat owl? This owl can be found in Europe, Asia, and North America.
Answer: Long-eared owl
- In the fall of 2022, scientists announced that they had identified a new species of scops owl. On what island off the coast of West Africa does this critically endangered owl live?
Answer: Principe
- The “Congo bay owl (Phodilus prigoginei)” used to be classified as an Oriental bay owl before scientists learned more about them. Now, it goes by what name and is a member of the barn owl family?
Answer: Itombwe owl
- Which species of pygmy owl is known for its skillful nest-building, going so far as to overtake a woodpecker’s hole and spruce it up with fixtures from the forest floor?
Answer: Ferruginous
- Also known as the Desert Eagle Owl, Savigny's Eagle Owl or the Sahara Eagle Owl, which eagle owl that shares a name with ancient Egyptian rulers are found in the rocky deserts of northwestern Africa and the Middle East?
Answer: Pharaoh Eagle Owl
- A now-extinct owl species called the laughing owl, scoundrel owl, white-faced owl, or whekau, lived on what island nation where the introduction of pests like the kiore (Pacific rat) has destabilized many native species populations?
Answer: New Zealand
- What owl was the center of a controversy about the logging of old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest in the 1980s and 90s?
Answer: Spotted Owl
- What widespread owl has the best ability to locate prey only by sound, better than any other animal tested?
Answer: Barn Owl
- In what Shakespeare history play did the Bard write "Thou ominous and fearful Owl of Death" and "An Owl shriek'd at thy birth, an evil sign"?
Answer: Henry VI
- Warner Brothers' "I Love to Singa," a cartoon from 1936 tells the story of an owlet who bills himself under what name when he enters a singing contest?
Answer: Owl Jolson
- If feline relates to a cat, and canine relates to a dog, what word relates to an owl?
Answer: Strigine
- According to the poet Ovid, the little owl that was the companion of the goddess Athena was originally a princess of Lesbos called what, until Athena turned her into an owl so she could escape an abusive father?
Answer: Nyctimene
- "What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds," a book filled with photographs and facts about, well, owls, that came out in June 2023, was authored by what science writer?
Answer: Jennifer Ackerman
- Known to nest in saguaro cacti, the Elf Owl is only found in the wild in which two countries?
Answer: USA and Mexico
- Whose fish owl native to China, Japan, and Russian Far East is also known as Keptupa blakistoni, and is the biggest (living) species of owl?
Answer: Blakiston’s
- Many native Mesoamerican populations, including the Aztecs and Maya, considered the owl a symbol of what dark ideas? (We'll be pretty generous with what we accept here).
Answer: Death and destruction
- Blathers is the name of the nocturnal, museum-curating owl in what series of Nintendo video games?
Answer: Animal Crossing
- Kathryn Lasky’s "Guardians of Ga’Hoole" book series is over 30 deep chronicling the adventures of what type of birds?
Answer: Owls
- Eastern screech owls usually bring dead prey to their nestlings, but they bring Leptotyphlops dulcis live. Some of them are eaten, but some live in the nest, ridding it of vermin. What kind of reptile is Leptotyphlops dulcis?
Answer: (Blind) Snake
- Stonehead McGurney and Sir Harry the Muse are owls in what colorfully-named fantasy novel series by Brian Jacques?
Answer: Redwall
- Mictlantecuhtli was the god of death in what Mesoamerican culture? This god was often depicted with images of owls as they were considered a sign of death and destruction in this culture.
Answer: Aztecs
- It's commonly known that most owls are nocturnal; however, some are in fact crepuscular. What does it mean for an animal to be crepuscular?
Answer: Awake and active during twilight and dawn (rather than night or day)
- The primary prey of breeding Snowy Owls is what rodent, which lives in the tundra and doesn't actually jump off cliffs, as an urban legend suggests?
Answer: Lemming
- Margarobyas lawrencii is better known by which common name that makes it sound like the species is not wearing pants? (Hint: It’s also called the goggle-eyed Cuban screech owl—a name that is not related to its featherless lower limbs)
Answer: Bare-legged owl
- Remiges and retrices are both names for what body part of an owl?
Answer: Feathers
- What is the hybrid fictional creature in Dungeons & Dragons that is a cross between an owl and one other animal? This creature attacks with its beak and also "hugs" its enemies.
Answer: Owlbear
- What color is in the name of the endangered Madagascar Owl (Tyto soumagnei) that was believed to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1993?
Answer: Red
- Group names for animals are a common trivia fact since they can be so. . . peculiar. There's a cackle of hyenas, a pandemonium of parrots, and a conspiracy of lemurs. What is the legislative name for a group of owls?
Answer: Parliament
- The eye of an owl appears in the logo of what snack food brand, which makes Ridgies potato chips and Cheez Doodles cheese snacks?
Answer: Wise
- In the Harry Potter series, what was the five-letter name of the elderly grey owl that served Ron Weasley and his family?
Answer: Errol
- In the Harry Potter novels, after Ron Weasley's rat Scabbers turned out to be one of Lord Voldemort's followers, Sirius Black gifted him what owl, nicknamed "Pig" for short?
Answer: Pigwidgeon
- The only owl that the International Ornithological Committee recognizes as having a single word name, the morepork (scientific name Ninox novaeseelandiae) is native to which two island countries?
Answer: Australia and New Zealand
- What is the common name for the small, long-legged own found in North and South America that often make their home in holes previously excavated by prairie dogs?
Answer: Burrowing owl
- Which species of fish owl has a name that refers to its color, not a certain ‘90s teen vampire slayer?
Answer: Buffy
- What large owl, distributed across the Northern Hemisphere, is the only Strix owl that is found in both the Eastern and Western hemispheres? It gets its name from a mix of black and white colors.
Answer: Great Gray Owl
- The Blakiston's fish owl is named for naturalist Thomas Blakiston, who picked up the first sample of the species on what second-largest Northern Japanese island?
Answer: Hokkaido
- Four snowy owl owlets—or "snowlets"—named Sukki, Nokki, Lekki, and Tsukki served as the mascots for the 1998 Winter Olympics in what Japanese city?
Answer: Nagano
- X the Owl was a character on what beloved children's television show? X lives in the knot of a tree, and takes courses with Owl Correspondence School.
Answer: Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood
- Give a hoot—don't pollute! What's the name of the U.S. Forest Service's owl mascot, created by the same publishing company as Smokey Bear?
Answer: Woodsy Owl
- What tube-like organ (generally more ball shaped on a human) makes up 1-5% of an owl's bodyweight, depending on species?
Answer: The eye
- What small owl is sometimes called “Tengmalm’s Owl” in Sweden or “Richardson’s Owl” in the UK? It gets its US name from a “B” word meaning “of the Northern climates.”
Answer: Boreal Owl
- The owl is a recurring motif in the sketches, paintings, and sculptures of which 20th century avant-garde Spanish artist?
Answer: Pablo Picasso
- First described in 1801 and noted for its relatively small size, the Southern Boobook owl is native to which continent?
Answer: Australia
- What kind of sharp projection for pipping (i.e., breaking shells) will usually fall off a baby owl’s beak when they’re about a week old?
Answer: Egg tooth
- It was believed that owls were a symbol of death or ill health among the Kikuyu people in what East African nation? The belief remains widespread today—especially when one sees an owl or hears its hoot.
Answer: Kenya
- The genus Micrathene, a combination of the Greek word for small and the Goddess Athene, was introduced specifically for what is currently the world's smallest owl. Taking its name from a similarly small mythical humanlike being, which owl is the only one that belongs to the Micrathene genus?
Answer: Elf Owl
- A 2022 study from researchers at Xi’an Jiaotong University in China looked at owls' wings to find out how to reduce what in airplanes?
Answer: Noise
- What is the biggest factor in determining how many eggs a female owl lays at any one time?
Answer: Food supply
- The Pernambuco pygmy owl is one of the rarest and most critically endangered owls in the world. What country is the only place where it lives?
Answer: Brazil
- Which species of pygmy owl shares a name with a precious stone you’d find under the sea, and is native to sub-Sahara Africa?
Answer: Pearl-Spotted
- The collective name for owls is parliament. This noun arose because of a description of a meeting of owls in what author's works?
Answer: C.S. Lewis
- What North American owl of the genus Strix, sometimes called the Hoot Owl, has a name which corresponds to it being marked with bands of color?
Answer: Barred Owl
- What word follows each of “Vermiculated”, “Pel’s” and “Rufous” in the name of three species of owl native to Africa? This word is a particular type of hunting activity.
Answer: Fishing
- What dark-feathered owl in the Asio genus gets its name from an adjective meaning "of or related to the River Styx?"
Answer: Stygian Owl
- “We are the Owls, and we bring the fight!” So begins the fight song of the what public research university located in Cobb County, Georgia, and whose athletic mascot is Scrappy the Owl.
Answer: Kennesaw State University
- What is the name of the group of owls found in the Old World that is the largest genus of owls with 45 living species? These owls have a five-letter name that starts and ends with the same letter, they are colored in various brown hues, and they are small and agile predators.
Answer: Scops Owls
- Although humans and owls typically live in relatively close quarters harmoniously, there are instances of owls attacking humans such as photographer Eric Hosking losing an eye. Hosking later titled his 1970 autobiography "An Eye for a Bird." What type of orange-brown owl attacked him?
Answer: Tawny owl
- What is the most specific taxonomic classification that all owls belong to? As an example, all plants are within the same kingdom, all insects are within the same phylum, and all elephants are in the same family.
Answer: Order
- What owl is named for the mask around its eyes, which is dark on light plumage in young birds and light on dark plumage in adults? These owls can be found in Mexico and Central America and throughout the northern two-thirds of South America.
Answer: Spectacled
- Although owls aren't the only zygodactyl birds, they are the only ones that can pivot the body part that zygodactyl describes. What is this body part?
Answer: Toes
- Chickens, parrots, and most raptors—but not owls—have what special expanded portion of the alimentary track used to store food prior to digestion?
Answer: Crop
- Feeding almost entirely on insects (rare for an owl), what is the small "F" owl with a 14-inch wingspan that gets its name from ember-like markings on its face that is found across Canada, the United States, and Mexico?
Answer: Flammulated Owl
- The Socotra scops owl is endemic to the island of Socotra, which is part of what Middle Eastern country? The owls can be found on 45% of the island.
Answer: Yemen
- In ancient Greece, owls were often seen as a symbol of good fortune, but other cultures saw them as more foreboding. In a Shakespeare play, we hear an owl hooting in a scene leading up to what title character's death?
Answer: Julius Caesar
- What type of owl, species name A. noctua, is sometimes called the owl of Athena or owl of Minerva, and gets its common name from its small stature?
Answer: Little Owl
- As with other birds, an owl’s feathers are nourished as they grow by a blood supply to the feather sheaths. What term is used to describe feathers that are still developing inside the sheaths?
Answer: Pin feathers
- What is the name of the owl who finds Tod as a baby in "The Fox and the Hound?"
Answer: Big Mama
- What “A” Masked Owl species, themselves named after an archipelago between India and Myanmar, appear to have some relation to the common barn owl?
Answer: Andaman Masked Owl
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About the Author
Eli Robinson is the Chief Trivia Officer at Water Cooler Trivia. He was once in a Bruce Springsteen cover band called F Street Band.
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