Up Close with Piper

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Up Close with Piper

From International Owl Center

Piper got some one-on-one time at the Owl Center before we opened, and here are some various serious and funny photos.

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OP

Showing the various shades of "toasted marshmallow" colors on American Barn Owl feathers.

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OP

Squatting down just before pooping.

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OP

American Barn Owl toes have feathers, but they are reduced to hair-like bristles. These feet aren't built for really cold weather.

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OP

Casting (throwing up) a pellet...just before it came out. (Excuse the out-of-focus shot.)

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OP

Facial disc close up: The white feathers around her eyes do not zip up...they stand open like spread fingers to allow the sound to go through them. The sound hits the facial disc itself, which is the ring of brown-ed densely packed, very stiff feathers around the face work just like cupping your hand behind your ear to hear better. The feathers above her bill are rictal bristles, which are very sensitive to touch, just like mouse whiskers.

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Cool! Never saw a side-view of the facial disc so close up.

And bonus pooping and barfing! :D

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OP

It's a really educational photo!

You can see the different texture of the disc, with those stiff feathers to bounce sound back into that parabolic face.

You can work out the approximate location of the ear by following the curvature of the face.

You can see why the rictal bristles are where they are since the eyes can't rotate to see down there so it needs those whiskers to sense what is there.

Owls that rely more on sight, like fish owls and fishing owls will have a much less defined facial disc than one like the Barn Owl, who is the poster child for talking about owl super hearing.

I don't share much poop or pellet stuff, but especially at indoor events it's always funny to watch people react to it when it inevitably happens. Always a crowd pleaser, especially with the young kids.

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