Owls are wise

In her book What an Owl Know—The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds, Jennifer Ackerman says that owls are intelligent.

It’s true that an owl’s brain would easily fit into a nut—but owls have relatively large brains for their body size. Also, scientists have discovered that what really matters in intelligent brains is the density of nerve cells or neurons. And, owls’ brains are densely packed with neurons.

Little Owls, says Pavel Linhart, a behavioral ecologist, recognize people. They can distinguish between the farmers they see every day and the researchers who come to band them.

Little Owls, a symbol of wisdom, were a companion to Athena, the ancient God of wisdom.