Published 20:19 IST, May 16th 2020
Owl acts agile like "cat with wings" as it attacks with beak, netizens share opinions
This comes as the owner taps finger which the agile owl acoustically observes with its talons on the ground, wings widespread, wide-eyed as it suddenly attacks
A video of an owl lying on the floor vigilant and pretending to be non-responsive at the same time as a feline has stunned the social media. Shared on twitter by a page known as Nature and Animals, the 29-second clip is captioned that owls could very well be cats with wings and the users couldn’t agree more. This comes as the owner plays with the bird by tapping its finger, which the agile owl acoustically observes with its talons on the ground, wings widespread, wide-eyed, as it moves without warning to attack via its beak.
With over 26.7k views and nearly 2.8k likes, the footage has garnered huge reaction as some users find the wild, prey bird “cute” while others think it’s true that the species has similarity in behaviour with the cats, as both are swift and unpredictable. The owls with their swiveling heads, razor-sharp talons, fantastic eyesight, and precise hearing, are some of the most skilled predators just like the cats, according to a study. And therefore, the winged predator can give an impression of a feline, at times, in terms of its sly behaviour.
"Mobbing behaviour" common in both
In another such video shared a few years ago on Reddit, the caption mentioned that “behaviour in owls and cats is called ‘mobbing’ behaviour'.” Further, he elaborated, “It's a common response among some types of birds and species to the presence of a predator or something else they don't like. Some species will do it en masse. In the spring, it's pretty common in wetland areas to see crows being chased off by a small crowd of redwing blackbirds or predatory cats chasing smaller ones.”
In another explanation, a user said, “Chinese for Owl is cat head eagle'', pointing out that it was perhaps true that the two creatures bore alike traits.''They have to be. Since they hunt at night, all of their prey has pinpoint hearing. Where I work, we actually have a residential Great Horned owl named Bubba, yes quite the same,” said a user Yabuki Joe. While one other informed, “In the US, you must hold a falconry license to have an owl, and the common view amongst falconers is that no bird of prey is a pet. It takes dedication to train your bird, and owls are known to be hard to train. Not that it can't be done.”
Updated 20:19 IST, May 16th 2020