That shagbark is a nifty looking tree!

I can't find it now, but I think I talked some about how owls look like they know what trees they should be sitting in. May have been this video?

Owls have been around for I want to say 65 million years, so through trial and error, the thought is they've learned which trees do work best for them, so there probably is learned/instinctive knowledge, at least to some extent. They wouldn't be around if they hadn't learned some effective means of blending in, so it only makes sense. Just because it's an owl doesn't mean it's some bird-brain! 😀