There are several animals that can be mistaken for owls due to similarities in appearance, behavior, or vocalizations. Some of the most common animals confused with owls include other bird species like nighthawks, poorwills, and nightjars. Mammals such as bats are also frequently misidentified as owls due to their nocturnal habits. With over 250 species of owls in the world, they can vary greatly in size, color, and shape. However, there are some distinct features that can help differentiate owls from look-alikes.
Birds that Resemble Owls
Nighthawks
Nighthawks are medium-sized birds in the nightjar family that are sometimes mistaken for owls due to their nocturnal nature and cryptic plumage. There are two common species in North America, the common nighthawk and the lesser nighthawk.
Nighthawk Features | Owl Differences |
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The nighthawk’s slender body, long wings, and cryptic plumage can cause it to resemble an owl at first glance. However, nighthawks lack the owl’s large head, short tail, and slow, stiff wingbeats. Nighthawk vocalizations are very different from the hoots, screeches or whistles of owls.
Poorwills
The common poorwill is another nightjar species that overlaps in range with some owl species in western North America. They can be mistaken for small owls due to:
- Nocturnal habits
- Mottled, cryptic plumage
- Large eyes
- Short, hooked bill
- Squat, rounded body shape
However, poorwills are much smaller than any owl species and have longer wings and tails. They also lack feather tufts and have a wide gape. Their flight is light and graceful compared to the slow, deep wingbeats of an owl. Poorwills make a repetitive poor-will call at night unlike an owl’s varied vocalizations.
Nightjars
The seventeen nightjar species found worldwide occupy similar nocturnal ecological niches as owls. Features like their large eyes, cryptic patterns, and wide mouths can cause them to resemble owls. However, nightjars differ in many ways:
Nightjar Traits | Owl Differences |
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The nightjar’s lithe silhouette, neutral plumage, and aerial foraging under darkness can potentially cause confusion with an owl. However, the owl’s stout body, short tail, large head, and stiff wingbeats are distinguishing features. The vocalizations of nightjars are distinctly different from typical owl calls.
Mammals Mistaken for Owls
Bats
Bats are frequently mistaken for owls due to sharing some similar characteristics and behaviors:
- Nocturnal activity
- Capable of flight
- Hunt by echolocation
- Roost in shelters
- Prey on insects and small vertebrates
However, there are several key differences that distinguish bats from owls:
Bat Attributes | Owl Differences |
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The membrane wings, fur-covered bodies, and echolocation of bats distinguish them from the feathered, visually-hunting owls once observed up close. In flight, the large owl silhouette and deep, silent wingbeats contrast strongly with the fluttering flight of bats.
Owl-like Features in Other Animals
Trait | Examples |
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Nocturnal habits | Nightjars, nighthawks, bats, bush babies |
Cryptic plumage | Nightjars, some hawks, sparrows |
Large forward-facing eyes | Nightjars, bush babies, some lemurs |
Feather tufts | Great horned owl, screech owl, eagle-owl |
Hooked bill | Poorwill, shrikes, falcons |
Silent flight | Owls, nightjars, some hawks |
Insect/vertebrate diet | Owls, nightjars, bats, bush babies |
Camouflage coloration | Owls, nightjars, frogmouths, some rails |
Many nocturnal species share some owl-like traits that facilitate their after-dark hunting, like cryptic plumage, silent flight, and large eyes. Raptors may mimic owl traits like hooked bills and feather tufts. But the combined traits of body shape, specialized feathers, flight style, and vocalizations make owls unique.
Distinguishing Owl Features
To properly identify an owl and distinguish it from potential look-alikes, focus on these characteristic features:
- Large, broad, round head lacking ear tufts
- Short, stout body with full, soft plumage
- Short tail and broad wings
- Large eyes set in fixed, forward-facing position
- Hooked upper bill with a facial disk of small feathers
- Talons with zygodactyl toes
- Broad, rounded wings with soft, fringed edges for silent flight
- Slow, deep, and silent wingbeats
- Varied hoots, whistles, screeches, or trills for vocalization
The owl’s unique body shape and proportions, feather adaption, toe arrangement, and vocal attributes set them apart from all other birds once observed clearly. No other nocturnal animal combines all these specialized traits to the same degree as owls. Being aware of an owl’s diagnostic features makes identification straightforward and prevents confusion with superficially similar night creatures.
Conclusion
While several other nocturnal animals share some superficial owl traits, there are clear differences that distinguish owls upon close inspection. Nighthawks, poorwills, and nightjars in the bird world along with bats among mammals are most often confused with owls due to similarities in appearance and behavior. However, the owl’s distinct body shape, flight style, feather adaptations, toe orientation, silent flight, and vocalizations set them apart from look-alikes. Being familiar with an owl’s diagnostic features makes identification easier and prevents misleading misidentifications of animals that only resemble owls in some ways. With observation and comparison of key attributes, owls can be reliably recognized.