What makes owls have good eyesight

To accomplish this, they have broad wings that allow them to glide, minimizing the flapping that creates most of the noise from a flying bird. For when flapping is necessary, many owl species have special flight feathers that make the action as silent as possible. The leading edges of the primary flight feathers are stiff fringes, reminiscent of the teeth of a comb, that reduce turbulence.

On the trailing edges of the same feathers are soft fringes, similar to the frayed ends of a torn piece of cloth, which further reduce any remaining turbulence. Below these feathers, the wings of owls are also covered in fine downy feathers that dampen sound even more. Owls are zygodactyl, which refers to the structure of their feet: two toes toes two and three facing forward and two toes one and four facing backward. This is what is seen in woodpeckers and parrots, and it is optimal for gripping on prey and branches.

Owls are not stuck in this setup, however. They can rotate their fourth toe back and forth, which is why when owls are flying, they have three toes in front and one in back. For a truly exceptional grip, owls have the ability to lock their toes around an object so that they don't need to continually contract their muscles. They get maximum grip with minimal effort.

When you think of an owl's voice, you think of a gentle, quivering hoo-hoo. However, not all owls sound the same — not even close. The characteristic hoot belongs to the great horned owl, but there's more to hear.

The barn owl, for instance, emits a harsh screeching sound reminiscent of a squeaking door. Meanwhile, the barred owl sounds almost more like the neigh of a horse than any vocalization you'd expect from a bird. Watch the video below to hear just a few of the distinct and varied sounds that exist across owl species.

Not all owls fly high through the skies and nest in hollows up in tall trees. As one of the smallest owl species in North America, the aptly named burrowing owl is opportunistic and stays close to the ground. They nest in underground burrows, often taking over ones left by prairie dogs, squirrels, and armadillos. They'll dig their own homes if necessary, though.

Often, burrowing owls will line the entrance of their burrows with animal dung. America C. America S. Home Species Articles About. Binocular vision in owls. Cross-section of an owl eye. Owl skull showing the Sclerotic rings. Nictitating membrane over the eyes of a Young Great Horned Owl. References: Campbell, Wayne. Axia Wildlife. Hollands, David.

Reed Books. The set-up of their eyes allows the shrimp to move the eyes independent of each other without compromising vision much like a chameleon. They therefore have a wide field of vision, and their color receptors allow them to pick up on small changes in color almost instantaneously. This can help them find prey and mates, and avoid predators. When considering the incredible vision many animals possess, you may not think to put grazing animals on the list. Research has found that pupil shape and eye orientation depend highly on the activities undertaken by different classes of animals.

Tall daytime hunters generally have forward-facing eyes with round pupils, while small animals like cats, snakes, and foxes that hunt during the day and night have vertical slit pupils that help them with depth perception as well as night vision. Prey animals, like deer, horses, and elk, who spend their time grazing out in the open and must be constantly on alert, have wide and narrow horizontal pupils, which gives them a wider field of vision than nearly any other animal.

When they lower their heads, their eyes also rotate so they have a constant view of the area around them. Two adaptations help owls see well in the dark. First, owl eyes are dominated by densely packed retinal rod s. All animal eyes have photoreceptor s shaped like cones and rods. Retinal cone s function best in bright light and are responsible for color vision. Rods are much more sensitive and function best in dim lights. Rods outnumber cones 30 to 1 in owl species, including the great horned owl and barn owl, enabling them to see better than humans in nighttime darkness.

Like many animals, owls have three eyelids. The upper eyelid closes downward when the owl blinks. The lower eyelid closes up when the owl sleeps. The third eyelid is called a nictitating membrane.

This translucent eyelid moves horizontally across the eye, from the inner corner of the eye to the outer corner. The nictitating membrane is especially useful when an owl is catching prey—the owl can see still see even while keeping its eyes safe from injury. What other animals do you think might have sclerotic rings in their skulls? Do you think humans or owls have greater binocular vision?

What other animals do you think have a tapetum lucidum? What other animals do you think have a nictitating membrane? Great horned owls have the largest eyes of any owl, and among the largest of any terrestrial vertebrate. If a great horned owl was as large as a person, it would have eyes the size of oranges.