“The clamorous owl, that nightly hoots and wonders at our quaint spirits” Shakespeare
“The owl plays a large part in Shakespeare’s references to bird-life. He does not discriminate between the different members of the large family . . .”
“In many cultures, owls signal an underworld or serve to represent human spirits after death; in other cultures, owls represent supportive spirit helpers . . .”
"Owls are an order of birds of prey. . . solitary, and nocturnal, with some exceptions (e.g. the Burrowing Owl). They are classified in the order Strigiformes, in which there are over 200 extant species."