“That tree just winked at me!”

There didn’t seem to be many interesting facts about this owl out there, all the articles just described what it looked like. Boo.

So in lieu of some facts, I found a short video of it hopping around and bobbing its head and such. Its head looks kinda flat on top, which I found cute.

Short Indian Scops Owl Video

  • FuglyDuckEnglish
    8•5 months ago

    “That tree just winked at me!”

    Probably explains a lot of “tree-men” type things. That guy is a master of disguise!

    What do they mean by “feather tufts”, though? Is that some banding or flashes of color on wings or something that serve as an indicator? (Like deer tails?)

    • anon6789OP
      10•5 months ago

      Think how long human kind hasn’t had corrective lenses, only had moonlight to see at night, and a very limited understanding of the natural world, and you can imagine many tall tales and mythical monsters could be traced back to owls!

      Tufts are the horns, though the proper name is plumicorns, which is an awesome word and should be more popular.

      Generalized owl face diagram

      Indian Scops - Tufts switched off

      Indian Scops - Tufts switched on

      Debate goes on about the exact range of purposes of them, but showing alertness can be one, like the deer tail you mentioned.

      • FuglyDuckEnglish
        3•5 months ago

        This makes way more sense. For some reason… I was thinking they were focusing on the wing tips when they mentioned them.

      • @Case
        2•5 months ago

        I spent a summer in Yellowstone as an employee, which meant I had a pretty bad ass backyard for a bit lol.

        I grew up in the suburbs, though have been to homes in rural areas at night.

        Let me tell you, a place like YS is another level of dark.

        Hikes under a full moon were tough. Under a new moon? Nah, I went back to civilization. I didn’t need to get injured in the dark and be unable to hike my way out.

        Dark has a new meaning in those conditions. And yeah, I can easily see that totally natural occurrences taking on a supernatural vibe in those conditions. Especially if someone was eating grain infected with ergot mold, or dehydrated, or exhausted, etc.

        Ergot mold is the precursor for LSD, for those unaware. It’s one of the theories regarding werewolves actually. People tripping balls at night high on LSD mold poisoning.

        • anon6789OP
          1•5 months ago

          People tripping balls at night high on mold poisoning.

          I can easily see that totally natural occurrences taking on a supernatural vibe in those conditions.

          I smell a new business venture selling eco-tourism to the tech bros!

          I want to get up to the one state forest here in PA all the astronomers head to. It’s supposed to be one of the darkest places in the country and I think that would be fun to check out.

          I’ve taken a bunch of cave tours, and they’ll often shut off the lights to show pitch black, and while I’m not claustrophobic, that darkness begins to take on a preternatural weight to it. Much of our ancient monkey brain still remains!

          What’s your most vivid memory of working there? I imagine you’ve seen some things most of us dont usually get to see.