The face of a Northern white-faced owl can be very expressive It's part of a defense mechanism. When they feel threatened by something smaller they make all their feathers stand and spread their wings to appear bigger, and when it's something bigger than them they make themselves look really thin, of which this is the beginning. Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/9br7mk/the_face_of_a_northern_whitefaced_owl_can_be_very/ | Oxford University Scientific Society