Owl without feathers: what do owls look like without feathers?

Over the last few years, social media has been in a frenzy over Owl without feathers. Owl occupies more space in the human mind than other nocturnal birds like Little Penguins, Black-crowned Night Heron, Nightjar, Stone curlew, Kakapo, etc. Owls are found almost everywhere in the world.

It is difficult to find people who do not know owls. Owls are known for their graceful shape with feathers all over, two large round eyes at the front, and powerful wings to fly silently to catch prey.

However, have you ever heard of or seen Owls without feathers? If not then let’s say that through this article we will reveal the various mysteries of featherless owls that will benefit you in collecting more information about owls.

Owl without feathers: what does an owl look like without feathers?

An owl without feathers would be an unusual sight we are not used to viewing.

Feathers form the outer shape of all birds, including owls, that keep their bodies protected from various insect attacks, storms, and rains.

Feathers also help them camouflage and fly. In short, without feathers, an owl would look unattractive.

Naked and Vulnerable:

An owl’s skin will be exposed without feathers, making it look weak and defenseless. The feathers of owls keep their delicate skin protected.

Distinctive facial features:

The owl’s face is shaped oval or sometimes resembles a human face. Known for their distinctive rounded mouth, which is formed by a tuft of feathers. An owl without feathers will look like a baby bird without feathers.

Wings and Flight:

Flight is unthinkable without feathers. Silent flight is a striking characteristic of owls that makes it advantageous to hunt. Without feathers, the wings will be underdeveloped or deformed.

Body Proportion:

Feathers give owls a plump appearance, a feathered owl will be a quarter of its size which may make many feel uncomfortable. Their skin will look very wrinkled.

When are owls seen without feathers?

Owls are never naturally featherless. When the owlets hatch, the owlets are featherless for several days.  Owls also lose feathers when owls suffer from a rare disease called “angel wing”.

This causes the owls to lose feathers giving them a distorted appearance. This condition is very painful for the owl, as without feathers owls struggle to survive.

If they can’t fly, they can’t catch their prey, they become weak day by day. Survival in the wild world becomes challenging for them.

But the good thing is that under the supervision of wildlife rehabilitators, these owls are protected in many places, securing their survival.

Baby owl without feathers

When baby owls hatch, they are often featherless or downy. This varies depending on the species of owl.

This parachrome usually lasts about 1 to 2 weeks, but the time can vary based on the owl species. Whereas larger species of owls take more time and smaller owls take comparatively less time.

Downy feathers are very soft and fluffy. Between the fourth and sixth week, the baby owl’s body is completely covered with feathers. Different species of owls have different colored feathers at dawn.

Owl head without feathers

Numerous small feathers on owl’s faces contribute a beautiful shape. Where other birds have two eyes on either side, the owl’s eyes are larger than its head and the two eyes are forward.

Without feathers, the disc shape of their face would be missing, making the owl’s head look flatter. Some owl species, such as the Great Horned Owl, have “ear tufts” that form two ears.

These are not two ears but tufts of feathers that look like ears. Without feathers, an owl’s face would have two large eyes and a large beak, and the head would look much smaller.

Owl without feathers on legs

The shape of the owl’s feet is formed for hunting, with the feet being relatively large in proportion to the size of the body. Different species of owls have legs in different shapes. Each foot has strong sharp nails, which help them to hold, kill, and carry their prey.

Owls have a pattern of toes called “zygodactyls,” which help them perch and hold prey. Feathers cover several parts of owls’ feet, helping them to keep their feet warm during cold weather. owl legs without feathers would look disproportionately narrow.

Barn owl without feathers

Barn owls are found almost everywhere on earth except the poles and desert regions. It is identified as one of the largest species of owl in the world, having a length ranging from 33 to 39 cm. A barn owl without feathers will have wrinkled pale or pink skin. The wings will show an unusual structure with less meat, which we are not used to seeing.

The feathered barn owl’s face is similar to the love symbol. This owl’s beautiful plumage is entirely due to its feathers, except that the owl’s face is a small space with two large black eyes and a sharp beak that would look unnatural.

Great grey owl without feathers

The great gray owl forms one of the largest owl species in the world that can range from 61 to 84 cm in length, like other owl species the female owl is larger than the male owl of this owl species. This species is spreading across the Eastern, Western, and Northern Hemispheres.

A great gray owl without feathers will have a strikingly different appearance compared to its feathered state which will look like a chicken without feathers.

Big lips with two big eyes would look incongruous with a face without feathers.  This cover of gray and black feathers all over its body, with two yellow eyes and a beak gives it a terrifying look.

Barred owl without feathers

The barred owl, a native owl of Northeastern America, usually forms a medium size. Their length is 16 to 25 inches. They are marked better in America for their aggressiveness. Without feathers, their skin would look wrinkled and pale.

Two large eyes, sharp beaks, and two large legs will be seen. Their wing bones and bone joints are visible without feathers. All birds except owls without feathers have a complicated life. It is hardly possible for any bird to continue surviving in the wild in this condition.

Snowy owl without feathers

The snowy owl, one of the largest species, is found in North America and the Palearctic region. They are 21 to 28 inches in length. Their bodies are adapted to live in snow regions.

Their feathers look whiter than other owls. They prefer to hunt during the day while other species of owls hunt at night.

With their Feathers, they prevent the severe cold of winter. Feathers form an important part of their body, helping them balance their bodies and help them fly.

Without feathers, the distinctive facial design will change, with eyes much larger than the face and a large beak.

The thin curled skin of the body will appear and the underlying scales and strong talons of the feet will be more clearly visible.

Do Owl without feathers Snopes

As a human being, I intend to explore the unseen, and unknown facts. Many have never seen a featherless owl in their lives.

Author Dana Schwartz shared some astonishing photos of naked owls on her Twitter. She searches for a featherless owl on the search engine Google.

The image that appeared moved the writer. She shared pictures of a featherless owl and an owl skeleton in his post. Since then, the owl without feathers meme has flooded social media.

Jeffrey Meschach, deputy director of the World Bird Sanctuary, explained after expert review, that the photo shows a barn owl with almost no feathers in its shocking appearance.

This image denotes how feathers astonishingly change the appearance of a bird’s skeleton.

However, these images became viral online in no time. Many even drew comparisons of them with dinosaurs or extraterrestrials.

Since the publication of these images, people have been showing the trend to search the internet for more exotic animals. What does it feel like when an animal or bird’s hair comes off?

The impact of such images on the Internet is long, Especially the image of the creepy skull of the owl.

Owl feather facts

There are five types of feathers in the whole body of owls: Bristles feathers, Contour feathers, Down feathers, Filoplumes feathers, and Semiplumes feathers. They protect different parts of the body, throughout the owl’s whole life. Owl species have different colors and sizes, especially in their young. Below are the functions of all these feathers –

• Bristle feathers: These small feathers have a stiff shaft and are completely barbless. They are usually seen around the eyes and at the base of the bill.
• Contour feathers: These cover the owl’s body, wings, and tail.
• Down coats feathers: It is a type of soft and fluffy feather. Which prevents the air inside the bird’s feathers from mixing with the outside air, i.e., the feathers trap the air.
• Filoplume feathers: These feathers are hair-like and covered by other feathers. which helps to keep the other feathers in harmony.
• Semiplume feathers: These feathers fill the space between the contour and down feathers.

Some Animals without Feathers and Fur

There are many animals in the world whose feathers and fur are taken. They have diverse forms and adaptability to specific environments and lifestyles. There are some animals whose body fur or feathers have grown due to illness. Below are some names of animals that do not depend on fur or feathers.

Mole rat: A species of rodent native to East Africa, with hairless and wrinkled skin. This horrific creature lives underground.

Sphynx cats: Although not completely hairless, their body lacks fur. Their skin has a fine layer of fuzz.

Fish: Fish have scales or smooth skin instead of fur or feathers. This is how their bodies are adapted to survive in an aquatic environment.

Reptiles: Reptiles, including snakes, lizards, and turtles, usually have scales or tough skin and do not have feathers or fur.

Amphibians: Frogs, toads, and salamanders are examples of amphibians that have smooth, moist skin without fur or feathers.

Whales and Dolphins: Instead of fur or feathers these marine mammals form a layer of blubber to keep them warm in cold water.

FAQs

Q. Are there featherless owls?

Ans: There is a disease called angel wing. When an owl is infected with this disease their feathers fall off.

Q. Do owls shed their feathers?

Ans: Just as human hair grows every day, just as birds grow feathers, so do owls.

Q. Do owl feathers deter rats?

Ans: A favorite prey of owls is rats, so rats are afraid of owls. Many people believe that keeping owl feathers in the house helps rats to smell them, which reduces rodent infestations.

Q. Why do owls puff out their feathers?

Ans: Like other birds, owls shed their feathers to protect themselves from other animals.

Q. Are owls mostly feathers?

Ans: About 95-99% of an owl’s body is covered with feathers. Without feathers, the owl’s body would be 1/5^th.

Conclusion

The featherless owl bears no resemblance to the owls we are used to seeing in nature. If someone brings an Owl without feathers in front of us, unless someone says it’s an owl, I can’t tell at first whether it’s an owl or some other bird.

We were intrigued by not seeing a featherless owl. However, above we have cracked the mystery of the featherless owl. These owls are frightening to look at night because they have two large round eyes and a sharp beak compared to the shape of their face, reminding us of the movie Jurassic Park.

With long legs compared to the body, they look like some strange fearsome bird from the Mesozoic Era 248 to 65 million years ago.