One of the cutest sights in the animal kingdom is a baby owl sleeping. As their big eyes slowly close and they start to drift off, you can’t help but feel charmed by these little creatures. Baby owls are so adorable when they’re snoozing, and it’s no wonder that people can’t resist taking pictures of them.
Introduction to Baby Owl
A baby owl is a young owl, typically less than a year old. They are born blind and helpless and depend on their parents for food and protection. Baby owls are typically covered in white down feathers, which helps them stay warm. They grow their adult feathers over time. Baby owls learn to fly and hunt from their parents. When they are ready, they will leave their parents’ territory to find their own home.
how do owls sleep?
Owls sleep during the day and are awake at night. They have a special adaptation that allows them to do this. Their eyes are fixed in place and they cannot rotate their heads. This means they cannot move their eyes to look around when they are asleep. To compensate for this, owls have a special eyelid that covers their eyes while they are sleeping. This eyelid is called a nictitating membrane.
Baby Owl Sleeping Face Down with Pictures
Oh! Is this little baby owl in the picture hurt? Has something really horrible happened to it? These are the questions that spring up in our minds instantly as soon as we see the picture of this adorable little baby owl.
Adorable? Yes, because this is the picture of a baby owl that is fast asleep and not that of an owl that is hurt. Notice how the legs are positioned. They always stick their legs straight and they themselves lie face down to sleep comfortably.
It is not at all surprising that this picture went viral due to the efforts of Mark Rees. Though people enjoyed the picture, nobody thought this was true. This is also not surprising because nobody would ever think that a baby owl sleeping like this is quite a regular habit.
This way in which a baby owl sleeps is surely amusing and very unexpected. But why do they do this? This is because they have heavy heads which they cannot manage to keep up and straight. This is very similar to what human babies face too.
What happens if the baby owl is on a branch? Well then, it will slump over. But it will cautiously hold on to the branch with its talons. This ensures that they are perched safely onto the branch and do not fall down.
Sleeping like this is not the only solution that these owls have for their heavy heads. There are other positions that also help. They just lean on the sides of the nest or simply on their siblings when they sleep. This also helps them keep their heads up.
These positions do not work for owls that are newly born or extremely young. This is because their neck muscles are not developed enough to support their heads that are really heavy.
There is a lot of research done on owls and the quality of their sleep has also been studied extensively. Through all this research, we now know that owls have REM sleep. This is the kind of sleep we have when we dream. It will be fascinating to know what owls dream about!
But all this is true only as long as the owls are babies. As time passes, and they become adults, the time spent in REM sleep reduces a lot. This is very similar to what happens in human beings also.
Animals have different kinds of body parts and adaptations that help them adapt to their daily lives and safety. Birds are no exception to this. Young owls have a part of their body called the hallux which is their back toe.
This toe is instrumental in helping the bird clutch the branch very tightly. This is a fail-proof method as the hallux will open only if the bird bends its leg. Even though nature has taken so many precautions, even before they learn to fly, some owlets come crashing to the ground because they try dangerous things.
When we see these baby owls sleeping so peacefully and innocently, it is difficult to believe that they will grow up to be such strong birds that can easily swoop down on their prey and carry them away.
The size of the baby owls is so small that it is difficult to believe they can grow to be so huge. For instance, a baby snowy owl is as tiny as 2.5 inches long but when it is a full-grown adult, it can reach a height of 2.5 feet.
The baby owl in this picture is also lying face down to sleep but not in the most comfortable place. It is squeezed between its siblings on one side and the rough, uneven wood on the other side.
Nobody likes to be disturbed when they are sleeping. Baby owls also like their share of good peaceful sleep. Their day is punctuated by numerous naps that are not very long. As the baby owls grow up, they can manage their heads and so, do not have the need to lie down flat to sleep. At this stage, they lean against a strong surface to keep themselves and their heads up.
All these fun facts about the way baby owls must be fascinating, I am sure.
