VIDEO: Transformer Owls AKA Ptilopsis leucotis

The video below show a real life Transformer owl. Believe. It’s been online for a few years and has rightfully smashed up well over a million views.

This particular transformer owl is the star of a Japanese TV show where, for some unknown reason, they are showcasing the incredible transformer-like powers of the northern white-faced owl (Ptilopsis leucotis).

These little white faced fellas are African owls that live by the equator. The Japanese show owl in the video is called Popo-chan and he is awesome.

Popo-chan is kept at a Japanese bird and flower park called Kakegawa Kachoen in Asigiri Plateau. This incredible park mostly consists of 8,000 square metres of air conditioned green house. It sounds pretty spectacular.

Here’s a massively Japanese style poster advertising what the park has to offer:

Check this owl out:

 

 

Popo-chan (and all the other northern white-faced owls, of course), has incredible transforming powers. When faced by an owl of equivalent size or slightly bigger, it puffs itself up to look like the most intimidating bird it can; but, when going toe to toe with a much bigger threat, he changes tack. He morphs himself into a tree branch as best he can, by sucking his feathers in and slanting his eyes.

By the looks of the media buzz around him, he’s a bit of a celebrity; he’s featured in a number of different TV shows. Here he is chilling out before another stunning performance. What a pro:

Before I go, here a couple of other pictures from the Kakegawa Kachoen garden attraction, because it looks pretty amazing: