ZAP’S FACTS!
BIRDS

Owls fly almost completely silently - and have built-in stereo sound.

One ear is higher than the other, so they can pinpoint a mouse in total darkness.

2 min read
Owls fly almost completely silently - and have built-in stereo sound.
THE FULL STORY

Owls hunt at night, in deep forests, where their prey can hear them coming a mile away. So evolution did something remarkable: it made owls’ wings nearly silent. The leading edge of each feather has a fine comb-like fringe, and the trailing edge is soft and velvety. Together they break up the rushing air that normally makes a “whoosh” - so an owl glides through the night without a sound.

Their hearing is just as impressive. Many owls have ears at different heights on their head: one slightly higher than the other. Sound from below reaches the lower ear a fraction of a second before the higher one. The owl’s brain measures the difference and calculates the exact vertical and horizontal direction of the noise.

That’s how an owl can dive straight down through total darkness and snatch a mouse that’s hidden completely under snow. It never needed to see the mouse at all.

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