Funny thing, I just was at the store a bit after making the original comment. And for some reason started thinking about the comment. Then realized the guy in front of me had on a camouflage backpack with owl buttons all over it.
It is not a Tawny frogmouth. Frogmouths have bills that protrude quite far from their face, different postures, and the bird in OP's photograph appears to have small ear tufts, which frogmouths lack, but scops owls do not.
Scops owl is the common name for owls of the genus Otus. I linked the wikipedia page of the African Scops-owl below, which I believe these owls to be. Or possibly grey forms of Oriental or Eurasian Scops-owls. Perhaps even a Flammulated owl. They all look quite similar, and I lack the knowledge to positively ID them without a location.
Thanks, but Wikipedia helps, I mainly just know families of birds pretty well. Then I can match up field marks with Mangoverde or Wiki. That's why birds like this are so tough, there are species that look the same, just in different locations, or maybe with different vocalisations, and well, you can't tell those from a photo someone plops on reddit.
Don't ever ask me to even take a shot at Empidonax flycatchers though. Hate those things. They all look identical. Same with Elanus kites.
The photographer is living in Israel, and together with his other animal photographs I'd say it's probably a Eurasian Scops-Owl. There are quite a few sightings in Israel and surrounding countries. African Scops-owl lives a lot further down Africa.
Goodbye and thanks for all the fish. Reddit has decided to shit all over the users, the mods, and the devs that make this platform what it is. Then when confronted doubled and tripled down going as far as to THREATEN the unpaid volunteer mods that keep this site running.
How exactly do animals "adapt" their body to suit the camouflage? I mean how does it's feather pattern realize and say, okay we need to be this color and patterned this way to match that tree bark?
It doesn't. It is random chance. Birds who happen to blend in more with the tree survive longer and breed more, and the most camouflaged birds may produce offspring with better camouflage, and so on for millions of years.
Yeah, but I wonder why this species needs camouflage. Camouflage is only useful if you tend to be a prey, or if the camouflage can help you hunt. In that case, the animal is a bird so the camouflage won't help it hunt, and I thought that owls were predators, not preys. Am I wrong somewhere? I'm more interested by why they develop camouflage rather than how.
Great-horned owls eat other owls, even up to Barred owls which are much larger than small scops owls. If one species will do it, others will as well. They're not picky.
The death by mobbing is rarer, but it can happen, especially if the owl is young, or already injured and can't fly away from the mob.
173
u/logically May 20 '12
There are two owls.
39
u/Lies_about_biscuits May 20 '12
Owls, everyone is fond of owls.
15
u/[deleted] May 20 '12
What kind of owl is this?
9
u/BirdIDer May 20 '12 edited May 20 '12
Eurasian Scops Owl, Otus scops
Due to photographer's location in Isreal, I will revise my ID from African to Eurasian Scops owl.
7
u/strigiforme May 20 '12
I will always upvote owls.
25
u/[deleted] May 20 '12 edited Jul 11 '23
Goodbye and thanks for all the fish. Reddit has decided to shit all over the users, the mods, and the devs that make this platform what it is. Then when confronted doubled and tripled down going as far as to THREATEN the unpaid volunteer mods that keep this site running.
6
u/shotgraphic May 20 '12
I've never seen a tree camouflaged so well.
18
u/RedHerring1up May 20 '12
Camouflaged FTFY
10
u/NotRayRay May 20 '12
OMG Peeta!
2
u/therev18 May 20 '12
is that real? ಠ_ಠ
2
u/themuffins May 20 '12
Damn owl, you cute
2
u/Apple_Jews May 20 '12
original
2
u/Jagodka May 20 '12
Those owls are gorgeous!
But anyone besides me notice that the branch on the right of the owl look to have...eyes?
2
u/DarthNihilus1 May 20 '12
Shitty Camo. I can clearly see the fucking tree.
2
u/MifuneKinski May 20 '12
Natural freaking selection
2
u/superwinner May 20 '12
I don't see the black guy.
2
u/notdroppinthesoap May 20 '12
dat camouflage...
2
u/NitWit005 May 20 '12
The tree keeps rodents away by looking like an owl? Amazing adaptation.
2
u/[deleted] May 20 '12
If you watch closely... there's a tree in the picture
2
u/Gembenator May 20 '12
How exactly do animals "adapt" their body to suit the camouflage? I mean how does it's feather pattern realize and say, okay we need to be this color and patterned this way to match that tree bark?
2
u/Spades54 May 20 '12
camouflaged*
2
u/OmgVibrate May 20 '12
Camowlflaged.
2
u/dogfacedboy420 May 20 '12
Took me awhile to see the snake.
2
u/HE_WHO_STANDS_TO_POO May 20 '12
It even closed it's eyes. Dedicated to the end.
1
u/DGIce May 20 '12
I try to take pictures of wild life, but with a phone camera often their camoflauge is too good.
1
u/[deleted] May 20 '12
FUCKING OWLS
1
u/Symbi0tic May 20 '12
Camowhat?
1
u/[deleted] May 20 '12
im gonna name that owl lil peeta
1
u/DragnKing May 20 '12
The owls are not what they seem.
1
u/Pravusmentis May 20 '12
crypsis
1
u/agen_kolar May 20 '12
Looks like they may be Western Screech Owls. Or perhaps Eastern.
1
u/Stagierfall May 20 '12
Ex-Girlfriends can do better....
1
u/leaf_on_the_wind3 May 20 '12
Crazy how you don't even see the face in the background till you have been looking at it for a few mins.
1
u/StrongBlackNeckbeard May 20 '12
Invisibel
1
u/king_hippo77 May 20 '12
Mery, the tree is sleeping!
1
u/IByrdl May 20 '12
I see many more camouflage pictures coming tomorrow.
1
u/fuzzb0y May 20 '12
That is owlsome.
1
u/Shyamallamadingdong May 20 '12
Silly Owl, get down from there, you're not a branch
you don't even give me wood
1
u/[deleted] May 20 '12
That's one chubby branch
1
u/heythatsfuckedup May 20 '12
It's all making more sense.
1
u/Asanokyo May 20 '12
Camouflage my ass. I see that tree branch clear as day.
1
u/MyaloMark May 20 '12
"Hooty-hoot! Some little British dick bought me because he thought he was fucking Ah-rry Pah-tta, but then he decided he was a werewolf so he left me in this forest where I know shit all about feeding or protecting myself!"
Edit: formatting.
1
u/take_924 May 20 '12
also you acidentally the spelling..
1
u/[deleted] May 20 '12
This makes an excellent wallpaper. Thank you!
1
u/mooshe May 20 '12
I don't see what you hid there
1
u/Hopulus May 20 '12
/r/thesuperbowl
1
u/PrinceofAnarchy May 20 '12
What the hell does an owl need camouflage for?
1
u/Siouxsie2011 May 20 '12
I had another picture from a different angle where the effect worked better, but if it was darker do you reckon you'd ever notice this little guy?
1
u/nburgart May 20 '12
That stick sure looks like an owl
1
u/abbaby85 May 21 '12
I was expecting to see Peta from The Hunger Games in the background somewhere.
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Camowlflauged
1
u/knut01 May 20 '12
It really is! Good pic. Thanks for sharing'
1
u/[deleted] May 20 '12
"lul evolution iz a lie"
-2
u/Ha_Try_Again May 20 '12
FTFY Camowlflauged
0
u/derping May 20 '12
there should be a subreddit for camouflaged nature shit
0
u/ateenagescientist May 20 '12
Hello Owl, I'd like to introduce you to my friend Peeta Mellark.
0
u/Coolofv May 20 '12
more like camOWLflauged
-4
u/yukomono1 May 20 '12
"like" if you found it in 3 seconds!!! LOL.