There are a number of reasons why owls hold their wings outspread and this post will be delving into these reasons to help you figure out what the behaviour of your own owls may mean. Perhaps this is just something you have witnessed in owls within the wild or perhaps it was just something you saw on TV, whatever the reason may be that brought you to this post, I hope it answers your question.
So, in short, why do owls hold their wings outspread?
The most common reasons are:
- They have just captured prey
- Securing prey
- Defensive posture when threatened
- Balance and stable positioning
- Injured
- Dry their wings
Capturing Their Prey
When owls capture their prey, they will land on top of it (usually a small rodent of some kind) and cling to it with their sharp talons. The owl will have its wings outspread in this position for many reasons combined. The owl has just landed from flight and therefore maintains the flying position for ease and transition onto the captured prey and ease when taking back off after feeding. This outspread wing stance also allows the owl to balance easier until the prey has been suffocated by the strength of the owl. To keep the prey still and puncture with all their force, the owl must be carefully balanced on top of the prey to be successful.
Securing Their Prey
Owls may also hold their wings outspread to create a kind of shield around their prey. Many believe this may be to stop the prey from getting away if the owl loses its grip with its talons. Others believe it works as more of a guide for the owl so they can maintain awareness of the space around them and their ability to contain their pray in a smaller area makes the securing of the prey easier.
Defensive Posture When Threatened
When an owl feels threatened by another animal or human or being of any kind, they may outspread their wings to make themselves look as big as possible to the potential predator – just like dogs and cats do when they puff up their fur and arch their back. It is the same premise used by predators of all kinds, to make themselves bigger is to win a fight (or so they hope). When the owls outspread their wings they can actually appear up to 4 times bigger so its quite a worthwhile action to take when faced with a predator triple its size. Barn owls do still hold their wings outspread but slightly differently to other owl species, they actually get straight into fight position and show their talons to their predator. Most owls just show off their wings as a protective measure with no real intention of fighting but Barn owls have been known to prepare for physical defence. Owls also may fight if they are protecting a nest and therefore may ruffle up their feathers, hold them outspread, lower their head and point the wings down to appear aggressive and threatening. This is what a human will see before an owl attacks. Owls have been known to attack humans, especially if they are near the nest site so be aware if you spot an owl with their wings outspread looking threatening.
Balance and Stable Positioning
When it comes to balancing, the wings are the owls greatest asset. If they land on the side of anything they will need to hold their wings outspread to balance and hold themselves comfortably on the vertical surface. This allows the owl to support their body while they cling to something. Balance also comes into play when hunting as mentioned above. If the prey is struggling and attempting to escape, the owl can balance on top of the preys body and apply pressure more intensely and in a more stable position if the wings are kept outspread. Then the owl is also prepared to take off again into flight again when they have finished eating.
Injured
When an owl has been injured then they may assume the wings outspread position if this is the more comfortable option for their injuries. Likewise, if the owl is left vulnerable due to an injury and knows they are unlikely able to protect themselves very well from predators, they may sit with their wings outspread to try and safeguard themselves while they gain some strength back. Sadly, owls have been found dead in the wing outspread position, usually because they have never been able to recover from their injury and eventually succumbed to the end of their life with their wings outspread protecting them right until the end, fending off the predators for as long as possible.
Drying Their Wings
If you have read any of my other posts then you may have come across this post here or this post here which talks about how owls are sadly not waterproof creatures and therefore don’t do very well when they get wet. Don’t get me wrong, it does take a while for the owl to become water-logged, this would occur if the owl has fallen into a lake or something similar to this, but being caught in heavy rainfall without shelter is enough to make the owl soaked. This can mean the owl will hold their wings either fully or partly or very slightly outspread to help them hopefully dry quicker once it has stopped raining. It is not unusual for birds in general to hold their wings out slightly in the morning to soak up the sun-rays and get the dew from the night off their wings.
In conclusion, I hope this information has made it easier for you to understand and make an informed decision on what an owl is doing when it holds its wings outspread. When we understand why an owl is acting how they are, we are able to effectively help the owl if help is needed or whether to back away from a potential threat. Usually you can look at the surrounding situation and understand what has happened but If you are not sure, handle the owl with care and keep safe until you have assessed what the owl is doing.