How do Owls hunt in the dark?

Owls have some pretty specialised features to get from A to B in almsot total darkness! Did you know that Barn Owls can successfully hunt in almost total darkness!?

First things first, not all of our owls are strictly nocturnal. Some are actually quite happy being active during the day, in fact a third of all owl species globally favour hunting during the day, or at dusk or dawn. In fact – most owl species have evolved to hunt at night, not becuase they can’t see during the day for example, but because they are less likely to get predated by larger raptors at night time.

So – what do you need to get about in the night time? Some pretty good eyesight for a start. Owl eyes can be up to 35 times more sensitive than ours in very low light levels, and in their retina, most owls have a high density of rod cells, which are specialised to pick up contrast between light and dark, over colour. Like all raptors, owls have vision highly specialised to pick out the movement of prey.

Then it gets to the super cool stuff. Owl hearing, is incredible. Most of the time, we can’t actually see Owl ears because they are hidden away behind a stiff facial disk of feathers, which helps direct sound to the ear in the first place. Highly specialised ears funnel sound to evolved cells in the midbrain of the bird, enabling them to process the slightest noise in rapid time. Species such as Barn Owls, also have asymettrical ears, with the left ear slightly lower and angled downward compared to the right – enabling them to actually judge the distance between them and the prey based on the difference in time it takes for the sound to reach the right ear from the left!

Of our five British Owl species, Long Eared Owls, Tawny Owls and Barn Owls are almost strictly nocturnal. But like all owls, a flurry of bad weather and they are often tempted to get out and about during the day to avoid getting their feathers wet.

Here at The Bird of Prey Project, in Bath, Uk every visit supports our work in conservation, education and modern raptor welfare. We recently had a great time hosting a series of Autumn Owl Evenings – where you could enjoy a cake, hot drink and a few hours of owls flying silently overhead and to your gloved arm as the sunsets. What is not to love!

But don’t worry if you missed out. Christmas Owl Evenings are just around the corner, and you can enjoy a classic sunset whilst soaking up the christmas atmosphere. Limited ticket availability – book here.


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