Owls have been regarded for years as being associated with the mystical and supernatural, probably because they are usually only seen at night. But there is certainly nothing evil about these cuties. Journalist Mark Rees took the internet by storm when he published these images of baby owls sleeping face down.
Yes, that’s right. It is entirely normal, but not widely known, that baby owls sleep face down, because their heads are too heavy for their bodies. His tweet gathered well over 150k retweets.
Pictures taken by the National Audubon Society also showed two baby owls, known as owlets, who fell out of their mother’s nest. They too were sleeping face down. Thankfully someone was on hand to pop them back into their nest, so they didn’t come to any harm. They have gone on to say that nobody should ever touch an owl if it is facing down. Many think that they are hurt and then try to move them themselves. It is definitely better to let sleeping owls lie.
The article from the National Audubon Society stated:
"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."
Sadly, both the Barn Owl and the Northern Spotted Owl are on the endangered species list as a result of environmental degradation and habitat destruction. But to see these magnificent animals in flight at night is really a sight to behold.
They mostly like to make their nests inside trees or in old buildings. From there they raise their young and hunt for small animals, such as mice and voles. Few people realise but all owls have a secret claw called a hallux that is used for gripping, it even keeps the owls in place while they are sleeping.
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