Owls come in a variety of colours, ranging from brown and grey to white and black. The colour of an owl’s plumage helps it blend into its environment and avoid predators. An owl’s colour can provide clues about where it lives and what habitats it frequents. In this article, we’ll explore the different owl species and what their colouring can tell us about their lifestyles and habitats.
Typical Owl Colours
Brown
Brown is one of the most common owl colours. Many owl species have brown feathers to help them camouflage against tree bark and other nature backgrounds. The brown colouring provides great camouflage when an owl is roosting during the day. Species with brown plumage include:
– Great Horned Owl
– Barred Owl
– Spotted Owl
– Great Grey Owl
The brown feathers help these species blend into wooded environments and go unnoticed by both prey and predators. The cryptic colouring allows them to ambush prey more effectively.
Grey
Grey is another prevalent owl colour. Like brown, grey provides camouflage against grey tree trunks and stone backgrounds. Grey owls include:
– Barn Owl
– Eastern Screech Owl
– Great Grey Owl
The pale grey and brown barred plumage of these species allows them to blend into rocky crevices, tree branches and cave walls. The grey colouring helps conceal them during daylight hours when they are most vulnerable.
White
Several owl species have predominantly white feathers. The snowy white colouration acts as camouflage in Arctic regions against snow. White owls include:
– Snowy Owl
– Northern Hawk Owl
– Northern Pygmy Owl
The white plumage enables these owls to seamlessly blend into the tundra landscapes. It allows them to sneak up on lemmings, voles and other small prey. A white owl perched in the snow is very difficult to spot.
Black
A few owl species have mostly black plumage. The sooty black colouration serves as camouflage at night when owls are active. Black owls include:
– Black Barn Owl
– Spotted Wood Owl
– Black-and-White Owl
The black feathers allow these nocturnal hunters to blend into the darkness. Prey have difficulty seeing black owls silhouetted against the night sky. This provides an edge when ambushing prey in low light conditions.
Exceptions to Camouflage
While most owls have cryptic brown, grey, white or black plumage, some species stand out with brighter colouration. These exceptions include:
Great Gray Owl
The Great Gray Owl has a grey and brown vertically barred body, but its head is adorned with intricate concentric rings of grey and white. This facial disc helps the owl channel sound waves to its ears, improving its ability to locate prey by sound. The distinctive facial markings likely also assist with signaling and displays between owls.
Northern Hawk Owl
Like other white owls, the Northern Hawk Owl has snowy white underparts to match its Arctic environment. But its back and wings are marked with big, bold brown patches. These markings help break up the owl’s outline and make it harder to spot when perched among the trees.
Burrowing Owl
The Burrowing Owl lives in open grasslands and lacks the camouflage of forest owls. It has sandy brown plumage sprinkled with white spots. This provides some camouflage against dirt and dry grass. It also has strikingly long legs, unlike other owls. The legs help it spot prey while perched at the entrance of its underground burrow.
Eastern Screech Owl
While most Eastern Screech Owls have grey plumage, a reddish-brown color morph also exists. This rufous colouring provides better camouflage in certain environments, like pine forests with red dirt and deciduous trees with reddish bark.
Owl Plumage Patterns
In addition to colour, owls have a range of distinctive markings and patterns in their feathers:
Bars
Barred feather patterns are common in owls. Bold black bars over a white or brown background help owls blend into dappled forest light and tree bark. Heavily barred owls include Barred Owls, Great Horned Owls, and Spotted Owls.
Spots
Spots and speckles help break up an owl’s outline. Spotted owls like the Great Grey Owl and Burrowing Owl have white spots over a darker background. This spotting diffuses their silhouette and makes them harder to detect.
Streaks
Subtle streaks and fine wavy lines blend an owl’s form even further. Streaked owls include the Great Horned Owl and Eastern Screech Owl. Streaking helps disguise owl shapes in rustling grasses and dappled sunlight.
| Owl Species | Colour | Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Snowy Owl | White | Sparse spots |
| Barred Owl | Brown | Bold bars |
| Great Horned Owl | Brown | Bars and streaks |
| Barn Owl | Grey | Fine streaks |
| Eastern Screech Owl | Grey | Streaks |
| Great Grey Owl | Grey and white | Spots and bars |
Reasons for Owl Plumage Colours
An owl’s colour and plumage patterns serve several important functions:
Camouflage
An owl’s top priority is avoiding detection. Colours like brown, grey, white and black help owls blend seamlessly into their environments. Markings like streaks and barring diffuse their outlines. This helps owls evade predators and sneak up on prey.
Communication
Owls are solitary, so their plumage helps facilitate territorial displays and mating signals. The facial discs of owls may serve as communication tools. Contrasting colour patterns also help owls recognize others of their own species.
Thermoregulation
Light and dark feather patterns may help regulate heat absorption and retention. For example, the dark scalloping on a Barn Owl’s feathers allows it to absorb heat more efficiently. Light-coloured plumage may help owls stay cooler in warm environments.
Habitat Adaptation
An owl’s colour and patterning provides camouflage best suited to their habitat. Forest owls have vertical barring to match tree trunks. Snowy owls have pure white plumage to blend into the tundra. Burrowing owls have sandy brown feathers to match open dirt and grassland environments.
Owl Plumage by Species
Now let’s take a closer look at the plumage colours and patterns of specific owl species:
Great Horned Owl
The Great Horned Owl has a grey-brown body generously streaked and barred with black and white. This provides camouflage in forest habitats. It has an off-white throat and a white patch below the beak accented by a prominent black border. Its facial disc is rusty orange and framed by an edging of grey feathers.
Snowy Owl
The Snowy Owl has snowy white feathers over its entire body, with some sparse grey and black spots and bars. The pure white plumage provides perfect camouflage in the tundra and Arctic environments it inhabits. Females may have more spotting than males.
Barred Owl
The Barred Owl aptly has prominent vertical brown and white barring over its entire body and wings. This barred pattern provides ideal camouflage in forested environments. It has a grey-brown facial disc lined with concentric rings of dark brown.
Great Grey Owl
The Great Grey Owl has a grey and white intricately streaked and barred body. Its most distinctive feature is its large facial disc adorned with concentric circles of black, white, and grey. It lacks ear tufts.
Eastern Screech Owl
The Eastern Screech Owl has soft grey plumage with intricate black streaks and bars. It has conspicuous ear tufts sprouting from its head. Some individuals are a red-brown colour.
Northern Hawk Owl
The Northern Hawk Owl has a predominantly white belly and breast densely spotted with black markings. Its back and wings are marked with large rusty brown patches. It has a prominent facial disc outlined in black.
Burrowing Owl
The Burrowing Owl has sandy brown feathers speckled with white spots and barring. It has long legs and a round head without ear tufts. It lacks the camouflage of most owls since it lives in open grassland habitats.
Conclusion
In summary, an owl’s colour and plumage play an important role in its survival and adaptation to its environment. Most owls rely on camouflage colours like brown, grey, white and black along with patterns like bars, streaks and spots. These help the birds remain undetected by prey and avoid predators. Some owls have facial discs and other markings that aid in communication. While plumage is mostly for camouflage, some owls have evolved exceptions for signaling or thermoregulation. An owl’s cryptic colouration provides insights into both its habitat and lifestyle as a master of the night skies.
