Exploring the Owls Sleeping Habits: How Do Owls Sleep?

People would like to have many questions about the lifestyle of owls as a nocturnal bird. One of the interesting questions is: How do owls sleep?  

While we hear owls hooting more during the evening and mass, they become harder to spot during the day. Most owl species sleep or rest during the day.

Although all owls are not nocturnal by nature, it can be not easy to spot owls during the day. Because the color of owl feathers serves them to blend in with the environment they live in.

Through this post, as a bird lover, I will describe the answers to questions like whether owls sleep with their eyes open or closed,  Where they sleep, whether they sleep day or night, how long they sleep, etc. The description will provide you with complete information about owl sleep.

Where does an owl sleep?

Where owls sleep depends on the species of owl. Some species of owls prefer to live in abandoned buildings or rock caves. Some species of owls prefer to stay close to the ground or in burrows.

Owls choose places to roost where they can find their prey easily and where they can be protected from other predators.

Most species of owls prefer to be solitary, staying together for only one breeding season and raising their young, sheltering around their baby to protect them.

Several species of owls can be seen grouping, including long-eared owls. This species of owl can be noticed sleeping together in one place.

Burrowing owls take shelter in burrows made by other animals, and burrowing owls build their burrows with their feet. Snowy owls and short-eared owls nest on the ground. Also, some species of owls prefer to build nests in man-made wooden structures.

Below are the names of some species of owls and their preferred sleeping places:

Sl No.	Species of Owl	Sleeping Place
1.	Barn Owl (Tyto alba)	Barns Abandoned buildings Church steeples Hollow trees Cliff crevices
2.	Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio)	Tree cavities Nest boxes Dense foliage Barns or sheds
3.	Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)	Large trees Nest platforms Cliff ledges Abandoned nests of other birds
4.	Barred Owl (Strix varia)	Tree cavities Coniferous forests Nestboxes
5.	Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus)	Saguaro cacti hollow Tree cavities Nest boxes
6.	Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus)	Arctic tundra Open fields Elevated points like dunes and rocks
7.	Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)	Grasslands Marshes Open fields
8.	Long-eared Owl (Asio otus)	Dense forests Coniferous trees Tree cavities Abandoned crow or hawk nests
9.	Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia)	Burrows in the ground Prairie dog burrows Abandoned burrows of other animals
10.	Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi)	Saguaro cacti hollow Tree cavities Nestboxes
11.	Tawny Owl (Strix aluco)	Woodlands Tree cavities Nest boxes Barns
12.	Eurasian Eagle-Owl (Bubo bubo)	Rocky cliffs Caves Nest ledges Old buildings

Do owls sleep with their eyes open?

Owls don’t have eyeballs like us, so owls can’t move their eyes around like we do. With Creator’s Creation owls can rotate their necks up to 270 degrees, which helps them keep an eye around even while sitting still.

Many people think that owls sleep with their eyes open or with one eye open and the other closed.

This belief has been inculcated in people’s minds through a variety of popular owl children’s books and movies. So many people tend to search on the internet to learn the real facts.

There is nothing true about this. Like other animals and birds, owls sleep with their eyes closed.

Owl eyes are larger than their bodies, which helps them see in low light. But too much light causes discomfort in the owl’s eyes, which is why most species of owls rest in daylight.

Do owls sleep lying down?

Most animals that live on earth are found to sleep lying down, or in the case of birds, they are seen sleeping with their legs folded.

But a different adaptation is usually seen in the case of charades; they can sleep standing or lying down. However, horses are often seen standing up and sleeping.

Owls are also different from other birds because they sleep standing on two legs. They are adapted to sleep by clinging with their feet to something like a sturdy tree branch. This adaptation actively helps them to take quick action to escape a predator.

Why do owls sleep face down?

Many people ask, Why do owls sleep face down? Let’s say that an adult owl does not sleep face down. This question has arisen in many people’s minds after seeing the picture of a little owl sleeping.

Baby owls are heavy on the head, which is why a baby owl will lie face down for 2 to 3 weeks after hatching.

However, depending on the species of owl, the owl’s baby’s face-down sleep time may change.

Even though baby owls sleep face down, they do not fall easily because they hold support firmly with their legs.

Owl Baby Sleep looks like they are sleeping very peacefully. That’s why many people make owl baby-sleeping memes.

Do owls sleep at night or day?

Since owls are nocturnal birds, they usually sleep during the day. However, many species of owls have been observed to sleep at night, while many species of owls have no set bedtime and sleep whenever they want.

This sleeping time difference usually depends on the species of owl. But sometimes owls can be observed to change their sleeping time depending on the region they live in.

Which species of owl sleep during the day?

Several species of owls are truly nocturnal. They sleep during the day and hunt and stay awake at night, especially at dusk, dawn, and full moon nights when there is little light. 

The list given below shows the species of owls included:

• Barn owl 
• Boreal owl 
• Elf owl
• Eastern screech-owl 
• Flammulated owl 
• Great horned owl 
• Long-eared owl 
• Northern saw-whet owl
• Spotted owl
• Western screech-owl 
• Whiskered screech-owl

Which species of owl sleeps at night?

Several species of owls are more active during daylight hours. They hunt throughout the day, find no safe shelter at night, and sleep there. First on this list is the snowy owl, which usually lives in the Arctic. 

This region is very cold, and snow falls, due to which the body of this species of owl is adapted to live in this region. 

Because of the extra cold at night, their preferred prey is more active during the day, so they hunt awake during the day and sleep at night to avoid the cold at night. 

All species of owls that sleep at night except the Snowy Owl are as follows:

• Burrowing owl
• Northern hawk owl

Which species of owls sleep at any time of the day or night (cathemeral species owls)

Some species of owls are active or sleep at any time of the day or night. All these owls catch and eat prey at any time and sleep at any time. When this species of owl needs food, it wakes up and hunts. 

The owl species included in this list are as follows:

• Barred owl 
• Great grey owl 
• Northern pygmy owl 
• Short-eared owl

How long do owls sleep?

Like other birds, owls sleep for about 6–12 hours to recharge their bodies. They are so fast they can fall asleep and wake up in about 11 seconds. 

Although owls are birds of prey themselves, they can be preyed upon by other predators, so they sleep very well. 

However, their sleep is irregular that is, they wake up occasionally in their sleep. Owls’ sleep times can vary from species to species, and sleep may be shorter depending on food needs. 

Owls tend to be more alert and sleep less at other times of the year, especially because they care for their young during the breeding season.

Do owls sleep in the same place?

Most of the owl species living in the world are very aware of their territory, known as resident owls. They guard their territory to prevent other owls from entering it.

Several species of owls are migratory and change their habitat from time to time. Owls are usually more sensitive to their territory during the breeding season because they fear that other owls may attack the young ones.

Also, if multiple owls are in the same area, they may face a food shortage. However, several migratory owls are seen returning to the same location every year.

An owl sleeps in a certain place for several days, and then they may change their sleeping place. Resident owls may roost in different locations within their territory.

Do owls dream in their sleep?

Like other mammals, including humans, owls dream in their sleep despite being birds. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is observed in human infants during infancy.

REM sleep is mainly used by owls. REM is more frequent in baby owls, and as the owl grows older, the REM phase of short-term sleep decreases.

According to the experiment conducted by the journal Frontiers in Zoology on 66 young barn owls by using electroencephalograms (EEGs) and movement data loggers to determine how much time these owls spend in REM sleep, it has been known that owl babies, like human babies, dream continuously during sleep.

Do owls sleep in groups?

Most species of owls are very aware of their territory and prefer to live alone so that they are not deprived of food in their particular area.

That is why most species of owls can be found alone, even when sleeping. However, it is common to see owls sleeping in pairs during the breeding season.

Also, owls that have just left their parents’ nests can be seen sleeping together for several days.

Burrowing owls are known for sleeping in closed groups. This species of owl is never seen sleeping alone.

Several species of owls prefer to roost in groups only during the winter. This list includes long-eared owls, short-eared owls, great-horned owls, etc.

Where do owls sleep when it rains?

The selection of different types of shelter is noted in different species of owls.

Most species of owls choose roosting sites such as barns, abandoned buildings, church steeples, hollow trees, tree cavities, nest boxes, dense foliage, etc., where rainwater cannot easily penetrate.

Several species of owls, like short-eared owls, snowy owls, etc., choose places to sleep in areas like open fields, elevated points like dunes and rocks, grasslands, marshes, open fields, etc.

That is why when it rains, it is either wet with rain or takes shelter by flying to a place where rainwater cannot penetrate.

Where do owls sleep in the winter?

Two types of owls are commonly seen: territorial and migratory. Migratory owls are known to change their habitat, especially in winter, which also changes their roosting sites.

Owls change their habitat mainly due to food shortages, weather changes, and breeding seasons. In the case of snowy owls, they change their habitat when food becomes scarce due to the extreme cold.

Burrowing owls, long-eared owls, short-eared owls, great-horned owls, etc. species of owls have been observed sleeping together in winter due to the extreme cold.

When the winter goes away, owls other than burrowing owls like long-eared owls, short-eared owls, great-horned owls, etc. tend to live and sleep in separate places.

FAQs

Q. Where do baby owls sleep?

Ans: Different species of owls have different roosting sites as they roost during the breeding season. They usually select the abandoned nests of other birds, tree cavities, nest boxes, and ground as sleeping places for their baby.

Q. How do owls sleep eyes?

Ans: Like other animals, their two eyes remain closed when they sleep.

Q. How do owls sleep at night?

Ans: Since most owls are nocturnal, they do not sleep at night. However, several species of owls sleep around 6 – 12 hours a night. Such as Snowy owl, Burrowing owl, and Northern hawk owl.

Q. Why do owls sleep during the day?

Ans: Owls’ eyes are adapted to see better in low light, which is why owls are nocturnal birds and sleep during the day.

Q. How do baby owls sleep?

Ans: Baby owls sleep with their faces down and their legs straight.

Q. How much do owls sleep?

Ans: How long owls sleep depends on the owl species, but owls sleep about 10 to 12 hours each day.

Conclusion

All my answers relate to ow’s sleep, especially how owls sleep. You like answering questions, and you have all your answers. 

The sleeping patterns of a baby owl and an adult owl are completely different, where the baby owl sleeps face down due to the heaviness of the head, stomach tucked down, and legs straightened. 

Baby owls sleep anytime except during their feeding time. An adult owl sleeps standing up, much like a horse, holding onto support with their toes. But they usually sleep 6 to 12 hours in 24 hours.