PHOTOS: Wayne Lynch/Getty Images; Mohd Khorshid/500px; Austin Thomas/Caters.when they are fully relaxed.” The preening of plumage is vital to survival:
Without the constant meticulous removal of dirt, owls would fi nd themselves
slightly weighed down during fast-paced hunting missions. And then all of
the drudgery would have been in vain—since we know now that owls aren’t
keen on fl ying. And what about the owl at bottom right? It may look listless,
but it could be displaying its skills— owls will show off in view of a female all
day long. After all, mating season (which occurs in the spring) is when owls
perform their most bizarre contortions. “It looks as if it’s about to take off,”
says Brandt. However it’s also totally possible that it has leapt from its perch
with folded wings, only spreading them out just before reaching the ground.
This little guy can do that—and that’s quite impressive!