In size greatly exceeding the real birds, the sculpture presents the owl gazing ahead with its wings closed. Its plumage is rendered with simple etchings, and it is possible that it initially also had its details colored with paint. This watchful bird with its excellent vision nested in the Acropolis Rock's crevices and was the goddess Athena's sacred bird, the symbol of the goddess and emblem of her city. Today the original is displayed at the Museum's entrance on a high pillar, as it would have been in the fifth century BC when it was dedicated to the Acropolis Sanctuary. This reproduction on a scale of one to ten accurately reproduces the owl which greets visitors on their arrival at the Museum. It is produced exclusively for the Acropolis Museum by the Museum's Conservation Workshops in exceptional quality.