OWL

Owl was the companion of Athena, and has long been associated in western traditions with deep knowledge and wisdom. Anyone who has ever stood face to face with a real owl will readily understand why this is so. Contrary to popular belief, Owl can see quite well in daylight. Unlike many creatures whose legends are similar from one culture to another, owl lore is highly divergent. While classical Greek myth depicts Owl as a bird of wisdom and beneficence, many Native American tribes see Owl as a bird of ill omen and baneful magic.

Great Horned Owl:Common throughout North and parts of South America, the Great Horned Owl is one of the largest of owl species, and is amongst the most efficient and deadly of nocturnal hunters, sometimes taking prey several times its own size. They will hunt and kill almost anything, including other owls. Great Horned Owls do not build nests, but take over old nests abandoned by other large birds, which they usually don't bother to repair. Its horn-like tufts of feathers which are sometimes called "ear tufts" have nothing to do with its ears, but do seem to be used to communicate mood, as a dog or cat uses its ears. They have few natural enemies, though they are often mobbed by flocks of crows, which may pursue them for hours, harrassing them. Horned Owls are unique in that they neither migrate nor hibernate, nor do they generally range more than a few miles from the area in which they were hatched.