This member of the Strigadae Clan is recognizable by its large round head and short hooked bill. The saucer-sized eye sockets are parabolic in shape to help focus sounds for keen hearing. Wings are covered in fluffy plumage that enable silent flight. Being designed for stealth and sharp vision serves owls well when hunting for small ground mammals in waning and nocturnal light. A mouse pellet in the belly and young in the wing represent the continuum of life. Northwest Coast myths tell of Owl's call or overhead flight signifying the passage from this world to the next.