Think that owls are just there to represent some boring old wisdom sages and librarians? Think again! There’s much more to owls than the mystique we’ve ascribed to them in folklore!
Owls are some of the coolest birds you’ll ever encounter! Thanks to the magic of photography, we can witness their beauty, agility, and piercing eyes all at once! To honor that, I’ve prepared a nice little list of photos for you!
So, take a peek at some mind-blowing images that will perfectly capture what makes owls so extraordinary!
1. Owl Fights
What you’re witnessing here is an owl-world argument! Owls aren’t typically aggressive, but when it comes to defending their territory or mate? They won’t hesitate to throw some feathers!
Their fights often involve wing-slapping and talon strikes. If you’re the Great Horned Owl though, you can take these fights to the next level! Sometimes, they take on larger predators to protect their space.
Imagine being brave enough to stare down a fox or hawk!
2. Rotating Heads
This owl knows its talent, and it doesn’t mind showing it off! Owls can go full exorcist mode, and turn their heads up to 270 degrees! Honestly, spooky!
But wait! There is a good reason they do this! Unlike humans, owls have fixed eye sockets. The problem is that they can’t really move their eyeballs. To compensate, they have extra neck vertebrae so they can rotate their heads like this! Cool, right?
3. Hunting For Food
Here we see an owl mid-hunt. And well, the way it grabs that mouse is quite impressive, don’t you think? That mouse never stood a chance.
Owls are masters of stealth hunting! They’re pretty quiet because their feathers muffle flight noise!
Another thing that sealed the mouse’s fate was the asymmetrical ears of our owly friends. One ear is higher than the other, which means that they can pinpoint prey with eerie precision! Yes, even when it’s pitch dark.
4. Lunch ‘n’ Munch
This photo was taken mid-brunch. The owl is basically saying, “Uh, hello, photographer? A little rude!”
The protesting is understandable, Mr. Owl. Nobody would like to be caught not caring about table manners! Technically, if we look at owl table manners, this is pretty regular: the strong fluffy birds can’t chew, so they have to swallow their prey whole!
Instead, they use their sharp beaks to tear larger prey apart. Later, they regurgitate the indigestible bits as pellets. Cool form of recycling if you ask me!
5. Owly Long-Legs
I know, this looks absolutely hilarious. But this photo is educational! It gives us a rare look at an owl’s long and lanky legs.
It’s a little goofy, sure, but those legs are built for power. They hide those muscled machines under their feathers most of the time. The thing is, they give owls extra height for pouncing on prey!
The point is this: next time you see an owl, imagine it with birdy stilettos.
6. Wink-Wink
An owl caught in a wink! Quite adorable, and mysterious. But there’s more to this behavior than winks the eye (heh). It could be an indicator you should stay away!
But owls have a lot more interesting things to offer than just winks! One of them is the fact that these birdies have three eyelids! One pair is for blinking, one for sleeping, and the third is a translucent membrane that protects their eyes while they hunt.
7. Owl Love
Now here’s a little something about owl love! If this isn’t the cutest image ever, then I don’t know what is.
Owls form very strong pair bonds, and many subspecies often mate for life. They l-owl each other so much that they groom one another and share food! A romantic dinner in the owl world? One hunts, while the other one gets the first bite! Goals!