Is it permissible to buy an owl, or is it forbidden?

It is not permissible to buy and sell owls due to the absence of a permissible benefit in them. They are predatory birds with talons whose consumption is not lawful, as stated in the prophetic Hadith: "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah's prayers and peace be upon him, forbade every carnivore with fangs and every bird with talons." This includes owls according to most scholars. Furthermore, buying owls involves wasting money, time, and effort, and may lead to buying carrion to feed them, which is unanimously forbidden.