…or did he?!
When i first took this shot i thought the little shit was looking at me… then…
One theory is that large false eyes may create the illusion that the owl is much bigger than its 6 and 3/4- inch size.
A more current theory is that the false eyes help protect the pygmy-owl’s true eyes. Small birds will mob this diurnal owl, even striking it, directing some attacks at its eyes.
I haven’t heard either of these, but it’s as good a guess as any. The owls aren’t sharing the truth with us!
I like its tiny tail, like they almost forgot to stick one back there. 🥰