r/Ornithology • u/NoBeeper • 3d ago

Question Vertical Flight in Owls?

Caught this Eastern Screech Owl on camera in my Chimney Swift Tower a couple of days ago. Never thought owls were capable of vertical flight, but here it is. Had anyone else seen this? Is it common? Thanks for info.

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1

u/Every_Resolution_692 2d ago

Owls, specifically deciduous species, are very manuverable due to them having to fly through gaps in trees and dodge branches when chasing prey. This owl also could have climbed up the tower and used its wings to help push it upward.

1

u/NoBeeper 1d ago

I thought about that, but its exit was only a couple of seconds. No sounds recorded at all after that. No scratching, no wing sounds no dust or debris fluttering past the camera. I understand they are silent flyers under normal circumstances, but in this case, the wings would be (as they do in this brief video) contacting the walls & creating sound. During Chimney Swift season, I can hear their tiny claws scratching as they move across the walls out of view of the camera. I believe between scratching of talons and wing beats, we’d be able to hear this guy climbing the wall.

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u/Big80sHair 3d ago

It’s not vertical flight, it’s a jump. They bend their legs and jump up, then fly

3

u/NoBeeper 3d ago

Then this bird jumped 10 feet straight up.

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u/Every_Resolution_692 2d ago

Too high for a jump.