Owls may be thought of as wise old birds, but a study of European Scops Owls has shown that males of the species suffer macho moments, just like humans.

A team of British and French scientists found, when recording several hundred hoots from 17 territorial male owls on the island of Oleron, off the west coast of France, that male Scops Owls often lower the pitch of their hoots to sound more aggressive to potential competitors, the Guardian reported Tuesday.

After finding that the hooting was determined largely by the owl's body weight - the heavier, the deeper - they played recorded sounds back to owls that had already established areas of their own.

When the owls heard hoots with a higher pitch they responded by lowering their own hoots to sound more aggressive.

The scientists think the birds, among the smallest species of owl, try to make themselves sound heavier to scare off interlopers.