A Screech Owl has fine, soft feathers along the legs and feet. With elements of a tree branch blocking the view in the reference photo, having familiarity with the bird’s anatomy helped clarify these elements.
For example, for most birds, the toes are positioned with 3 toes in front and 1 in back. However, for owls, their outside toe can shift to the back or to the front. In this reference photo, it appeared that 2 toes were forward and 2 toes were back for each foot. What is seen are the forward and backward facing toes in profile. The majority of the legs are hidden, tucked under the feathers of the body.
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