If your feed suddenly sounds like a late night forest, you are not imagining it. A new TikTok trend has taken over where users imitate owls, and what starts as a simple hoot quickly turns into full blown character work. The appeal is its absurd simplicity, because anyone can do it with a phone camera and a willingness to look a little ridiculous. Like most internet bits, it did not stay basic for long. Creators began building detailed personas that feel less like bird impressions and more like comedy sketches in feathers.
The trend is not just about copying an owl’s call. People are now acting out specific “owl characters,” including impressions of other humans who are pretending to be owls. That layered silliness is part of why it spreads so quickly, since each new post can riff on the format without needing to explain the joke. Once a concept becomes a shared language on TikTok, it turns into an invitation for everyone to add their own twist. The result is a growing library of owl voices, owl attitudes, and owl celebrity impressions that keep escalating.
One of the most talked about examples comes from creator @lukefranchina, who posted an imitation that matches what many viewers imagine would happen if Jennifer Coolidge somehow became an owl. The humor relies on recognizable vocal quirks and dramatic timing, but filtered through the short, punchy style that performs well on the app. Another creator, @diaryofdevin, leaned into pop star energy with a Shakira inspired owl, nodding to the singer’s famous line “hips don’t lie.” It is a strange mashup that makes sense the second you hear it. Meanwhile @the_nickdarnell goes for a different comedic lane, giving an owl the voice and mannerisms of comedian Chris Tucker.
As the format gets more specific, the scenarios get more detailed and more visual. Creator @bemoregaytho acts out an owl frantically changing outfits backstage on the set of the reality competition show ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ while the judges debate the winner. That kind of scene works because it blends a very familiar pop culture reference with an unexpected animal frame. Another creator, @ashleybluedefxo, plays across a whole range of pop divas in an “owl version,” jumping between styles associated with Ariana Grande and Charli xcx. The owl becomes a flexible costume that can carry almost any personality. The more accurate the impression, the funnier it feels that it is coming from a supposed bird.
@the_nickdarnell And you know this hoo 🤣
♬ original sound – Nick Darnell
Creators have also expanded the challenge into “regional owl voices,” where the same hoot is performed with different global accents. That variation is easy for viewers to understand instantly, and it creates endless room for friendly one upmanship. People do not need expensive props or editing skills, just commitment and a sense of rhythm. Those quick, repeatable formats tend to thrive on TikTok, especially when they encourage duets, stitches, and rapid iteration. Once the comments start suggesting new accents or new celebrities, the trend feeds itself.
Even Netflix has noticed the momentum and jumped in to play along. When a major entertainment brand starts participating, it signals that the trend has moved beyond a niche joke and into broader internet culture. It also adds fuel, since brand posts often get boosted by curiosity and debate about whether they are funny or trying too hard. In this case, the owl trend is already silly enough that a corporate account can join without changing the tone too much. That mainstream recognition often extends a trend’s lifespan, because it draws in people who were not paying attention before.
By the numbers, the owl takeover is not small. The hashtag #owl has passed more than 561,000 videos, showing how quickly a single idea can multiply once it hits the right mix of weird and accessible. What is especially notable is that these impressions are now crowding out the classic clips of actual owls that used to dominate the tag. Instead of wildlife footage, many viewers are now scrolling through human performances of owl behavior. The tag has effectively become a stage for comedy, not a nature channel. That shift says a lot about how TikTok repurposes even the most straightforward topics into entertainment formats.
To understand why owls work so well for imitation, it helps to know a bit about the real animals. Owls are birds of prey found on every continent except Antarctica, and many species are nocturnal, which gives them a built in mystery factor. Their calls are distinctive and carry far, which is one reason humans recognize owl sounds so easily even if they have never seen one up close. Owls also have facial discs that help funnel sound, and many species have extremely sensitive hearing for locating prey. In other words, they are already iconic in both sound and silhouette, which makes them perfect raw material for internet parody.
There is also a long cultural history behind why people love turning owls into characters. In folklore and pop culture, owls have been portrayed as wise, eerie, comedic, or even judgmental, depending on the story being told. That flexibility maps neatly onto TikTok’s favorite kind of humor, which is exaggerated personality packed into a few seconds. The owl voice becomes a shortcut for mood, whether it is dramatic diva energy, backstage panic, or smug commentary. Once viewers accept the premise that an owl can be anyone, the only limit is how creative the next creator wants to be. It is the same logic behind impressions in general, just with feathers added.
TikTok trends move fast, but the ones that last usually have a simple core and endless customization. Owl impressions check both boxes, since the basic sound is easy and the character possibilities are infinite. Whether the trend fades next week or keeps evolving, it has already proven that the internet will always find a way to turn nature into a punchline. Now that you know what you are hearing, share your favorite owl impression trend take in the comments.
