Owl Jigsaw Puzzles

Where should you start an owl puzzle?

Start with the face. The eyes and the ring of feathers around them are the darkest and sharpest part of nearly every owl picture, so they come together in the first few minutes. Once the face is in place, add the body and then whatever the owl is sitting on.

Some owls hand you an extra landmark. In Great Horned Owl in an Oak the raised ear tufts stand up above the head, and in Little Owl on a Stone Wall the round face sits right on the uneven top of the wall, which is easy to trace.

Why are owl feathers so hard to place?

Feathers repeat. Bars, speckles and soft brown bands look much the same from one piece to the next, and a white owl can almost vanish into the snow behind it. Stop trying to match the color and look at what sits along each edge instead.

In Snowy Owl in a Winter Field the shadow under the body and the thin grass stems mark where feathers end and snow begins. With Three Owlets on a Branch the three chicks are close enough in pattern to swap by mistake, so keep each head with its own chest and its own bit of branch before you join them into a row.

A simple order that works on any owl

1. Find the edge pieces and build the frame.
2. Put together the eyes and the face.
3. Add the perch, whether it is a fence post, an oak fork, a birch trunk or a stone wall.
4. Sort the background into groups. The dusk sky behind the barn owl goes from gold near the horizon to cool blue above, so do it in bands.
5. Leave the quietest part for last, usually sky, snow or mist.

Which owl puzzle is best for a young child?

For a 5-year-old, try Owl under a Full Moon at 12 or 16 pieces. The huge round moon and the dark outline of the owl on its branch are easy to pick out, and at that size each piece shows something a small child can name.

An 8-year-old can take on the owlets at 36 or 50 pieces. Counting three faces and three sets of eyes keeps them busy, and the mossy branch under the chicks gives them a clear line to follow.

How many pieces for an adult?

At 104 pieces most people finish in about 20 minutes, which is a nice coffee break with the barn owl or the screech owl peering out of its hollow birch. Go up to 300 or 600 for Spotted Owl in a Mossy Forest. Ferns and moss bring dozens of small greens, and the mist rubs out the edges of the far trees, so the branch under the owl is your best guide. The two owls in the library window are slow in a different way, with shelves of old books you sort by spine color.

For more birds and wildlife, browse the Animals category. If you enjoy fine feather detail, the butterfly puzzles have wings that need the same close look.