Lately, a few owls have been going viral without putting any effort into it. All they had to do was take a nap! Yes, they did it face down. Yes, they looked unbelievably cute and as if they just got back from a night of heavy drinking at the same time. And yes, probably 99% of people wouldn't even have known about it if it wasn't for the internet... OK, maybe their popularity is perfectly reasonable; maybe I'm just jealous of it.
Journalist Mark Rees is responsible for arguably the most successful sleeping owl PR campaign. A pic he tweeted has received over 119K likes, catapulting the series to Internet stardom on all sorts of platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Imgur, and, of course, Reddit. Continue scrolling and check out the irresistible birds that everyone is obsessing over for yourself. Chances are, you'll release at least a dozen "w" worth of "aww".
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To be honest, we couldn't back up or dismiss Rees' explanation that the young owls do so because their heads are too heavy. All that we know is that they really do nap like this. The National Audubon Society, a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation, for example, published a heartwarming story about two Barred Owlets who had fallen out of their nest. After the babies were put back into the tree, their rescuers observed how they were recovering.
"Keeping their talons tightly gripped on a branch, the owlets lay down on their stomachs, turned their heads to the side, and fell asleep. Their naps are short, and when they are asleep, they do not like to be awakened, even to be fed," the article said.
"As they get older owls seem to dream less". As do humans. Live long enough and life slowly kills all your dreams. One of the worst days of our lives is the day when "I have a dream" becomes "I used to have dreams". *sry for the offtopic*
So... cute... tsundere... instincts... kicking in... must... SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The image belongs to Tanja Brandt, https://www.ingoundelse.de/ingo-and-friends/ - a great photographer and "owl-whisperer" (with the owl-whispering Malinois-dog Ingo ;-) ). Just leaving that here because that twitter-person somehow doesn't seem to be Tanja Brandt (and she should totally be credited!)
Interestingly, a young owl doesn’t fall out of the tree while it snoozes because it holds onto the branch with its back toe, the hallux. "The hallux will not open or let go until the bird bends its leg."
Sadly, before they can fly, most owlets' will to explore their surroundings gets the best of them and they often end up on the ground, sometimes dropping right in front of us.
We have a returning couple of owls in our barn and every year they have new babies. Their "nest" is up high close to the roof. Apparently (baby) owls can't take off from the ground so when one fell down it just walked around screaming for mum. We wrapped it in a towel (which was hilarious because you realized how much floof and little skeleton they're made of) and climbed up and put it back as close as we could. The next night all three babies were practicing flying again! :)
Awww! They remind me of toddlers who have shouted, “Not tired!” And refused to go to bed before collapsing on the floor in an exhausted heap.
Apparently they sleep like that because their body’s are too heavy for them to hold themselves up for long. Whether that is true or not, I don’t know and I cbf checking lol,
It does say that in a couple of places during the article... So at least you're right! 😁
Load More Replies... Wish there had been, information to understand it all, however, nice to see sweet baby owls !!!
Owls are some of the nicest birds around. Just remember do not mess with them. I had heard young owls sleep face down due to the weight of their head but as they grow older they are able to sleep as normal adult owls.
Very cute photos. On another note, I think MANY people feel like sleeping this way nowadays, considering how 2020 has been going so far...
My God, I saw the picture and thought it was something horrible .. or dead. What a hoot.
People Are Just Learning That Some Owls Sleep With Their Faces Down. Like me. I just learned that. Some of them look like muppets.
We have a returning couple of owls in our barn and every year they have new babies. Their "nest" is up high close to the roof. Apparently (baby) owls can't take off from the ground so when one fell down it just walked around screaming for mum. We wrapped it in a towel (which was hilarious because you realized how much floof and little skeleton they're made of) and climbed up and put it back as close as we could. The next night all three babies were practicing flying again! :)
Awww! They remind me of toddlers who have shouted, “Not tired!” And refused to go to bed before collapsing on the floor in an exhausted heap.
Apparently they sleep like that because their body’s are too heavy for them to hold themselves up for long. Whether that is true or not, I don’t know and I cbf checking lol,
It does say that in a couple of places during the article... So at least you're right! 😁
Load More Replies... Wish there had been, information to understand it all, however, nice to see sweet baby owls !!!
Owls are some of the nicest birds around. Just remember do not mess with them. I had heard young owls sleep face down due to the weight of their head but as they grow older they are able to sleep as normal adult owls.
Very cute photos. On another note, I think MANY people feel like sleeping this way nowadays, considering how 2020 has been going so far...
My God, I saw the picture and thought it was something horrible .. or dead. What a hoot.
People Are Just Learning That Some Owls Sleep With Their Faces Down. Like me. I just learned that. Some of them look like muppets.
