Twit Twoo! Is it true?

The classic myth: All owls go "twit twoo!"As you may have seen, from my previous owl posts, (Halloween Owls and  Owls of the fabirc kind ) I really love owls. But one thing I can't stand is the "twit twoo!" myth. I mean, surely not owl of them (excuse that fabulous pun) bust forth into several cheesy "twit twoos" whenever someone comes past, right?

Well, after carefully flicking through all my birding books, handing over surveys to my local feathered friends and consulting my Labrador, I can proudly present to you the answer!

The simple answer is no. 
Out of the several common owls that you get in the UK, you'd be surprised at what a variety of calls they have. Some sound like laughing, some sound like crickets, and still more have "booming" cries. As you can tell, they are all different, with more chance of an ABBA song than a "twit twoo".

The less simple answer?
"Please tell me the long answer!" I hear you beg, whilst clutching at the straws of the crumbling bones of your owl theory. As I have a soft spot for endearing fans, I shall commence. Well, the whole "twit twoo" saga had to start somewhere, wouldn't it? Surely some humans didn't just point at an owl and say "Wouldn't it be great if that owl would go twit twoo!" and then suddenly all owls were put in a stereotypical box labeled "twit twoo" for the rest of the duration of the English language, right?

Well, to put your suspicions to rest, I can assure you that that isn't the case. In fact, this whole mess can be blamed on the Tawny Owl. Whilst this owl isn't the perfect match, it has a variation of calls, and one of them sounds suspiciously like a twit twooo. (Or more like a TWEE  WOoOoOoooOooOO for those of us in the know).

Myth busted?
Well, yes and no. No, not all owls belt out that stereotypical call every night, but there is one owl that does. So, whilst the myth is untrue, our wonderfully child-like perception of owl calls can still live on. In fact, if you wish to hear this majestic bird, go a-hunting in the autumn time around woods or in parks in twilight. The "Twit Twoo" call is made by males trying to attract owl de ladies (Whoops! Sorry, yet another amazing pun!) in the October/early November months. Happy Hunting!