Bat and Owl Sharing a Tree Branch Coloring Page

An owl and a bat have the same branch to themselves on this page, and drawing them side by side is a quiet lesson in how differently two night animals are built.

The owl is on the left, upright and compact, with two enormous round eyes, small tufted brows, a short triangular beak and a neat row of dots down its chest marking out the feathers. Its wings are tucked flat against its sides and its toes grip the bark.

The bat is on the right, standing on the same limb with both wings opened out rather than folded, each one a pointed membrane with a scalloped lower edge. Its face is small, with two dot eyes, a tiny muzzle and two upright ears.

The branch runs the full width of the sheet, forking into bare twigs at the left end and tapering at the right.

The lower third of the page is left empty. That gives the two figures room to read clearly, and it leaves space for a trunk, a moon or a patch of ground if whoever is coloring wants to finish the scene themselves.