Owls are solitary creatures. In fact, anyone would be lucky to see an owl in the wild; instead, you’re more likely to hear their characteristic hooting sound! The owls isn’t just beautiful, but they are also one of the most widely distributed birds in the world, so much so that it can be found throughout all of Europe and North America.
And, if you’re lucky enough to see one of these birds in person, you’ll notice right away that there are some distinct physical differences between the adults and their young ones, which are called owlets.
A baby owl sighting would be even more unlikely, so we’ve put together this post with all you need to know about baby owls, as well as lots of baby owl photographs. Owlets, like other newborn birds, are unique from mature, adult birds.
These young birds have a lot of soft, fluffy down and no obvious markings, but their face discs are one of the first plumage traits to emerge. The form, size, as well as color of the disc can be quite helpful in identifying an owlet.
Although some juvenile owls have somewhat different color than older birds, eye as well as beak color can also be used to distinguish newborn owls. Owlets may have small fluffy nubs on their heads with ear tufts, but they lack the full form, color, as well as dexterity that mature owls have with their ear tufts.
Wings can grow early in owlets, and the young birds’ first flying feathers may have barring or other patterns when their bodies are still covered with indistinct down.