"You'll also find some of our kind are monogamous. I know some people have taken to polyandry or polygamy since the Change, but some of us have basically kept the 'old ways' alive. This is just part of instincts, really.

You'll also find some unique instincts and this can include body language. Watch the wings. Even if you have them, you might sometimes find spreading them makes people think you're trying to intimidate them. I once dated a girl who was a middie Gannet. She would shake her head as if she was saying 'no' but she was actually saying 'hi'. She also liked gently tapping me with her beak.

Kissing was also a real different experience - some of us actually link our beaks. Or we'd give a gentle peck. Sure it's dead tissue, but that doesn't mean it doesn't HURT if you bang it on something by mistake."

Thanks for this additional insight!

Ah, I remember the Winds of Change setting, that was one of my first forays into the furry fandom. Good memories. It's a shame the round robin stories got taken down, though. I'd've liked to have re-read them.

As a fellow bird-morph, I can say that telekinesis is by far one of the most useful powers behind some form of shifting. With a bit of practice, you can use it to compensate for a lot of the reduced mobility that having talons and a beak causes, such as forming a "funnel" to make drinking easier, grabbing something in a tight spot that your wings no longer allow you to fit into, and even squeezing the water out of your feathers after a shower or a swim. And, if you're lucky enough to be able to use it on yourself, it can make flying much easier by increasing the degree of control you have.

Owl hearing is basically the auditory version of the increase in visual acuity that your hawk eyes give you. Things aren't necessarily louder, but you can hear much, much quieter sounds and pick apart more complex audio landscapes. Of course, with this increased resolution comes an increase in the amount of strain it puts on your attention, and sensory overload is very easy in busy urban environments. Being able to pinpoint the origin of a sound is great when there's a few pieces of prey to hunt, not so much when there's a hundred people and cars in all directions. I've taken to wearing a pair of headphones that dampen loud sounds without affecting quiet sounds too much, which makes going out in public far easier. They can even play music, too!

Sound dampening headphones sound fantastic for that problem.

And of course with owls? You can make out movement at night easily. It's not pure dark vision - it's just low light.

Also don't play with your facial disc - that actually helps collect sound.

Down side though: Owl vision suffers heavily in daylight. Solution: Goggles!

"Argh! It's kinda bright!"

forcing an owl to use discord light theme or hell any light them has been banned by international law

You might be surprised! Although my pupils aren't quite as capable of blocking out light as they were before the change, I can compensate by closing my eyes halfway, which was surprisingly instinctive. Ever wonder why owls always look so drowsy in direct sunlight? Well, now you know!

Nice read, I enjoyed reading it.

Might wanna mention the magnetic senses birds have for natural navigation too.

I thought about adding that, but couldn't find a reliable source on raptors having those, and since it's largely from a raptor-centric perspective, I kept it off.

That said I am possibly going to do a sequel of sorts.