An owl can't really turn its head all the way around. But it can rotate it an amazing three-quarters of the way (270 degrees). That means it can see in every direction - even straight backwards! Big eyes collect more light than small ones, and owls' eyes are huge! They have some of the best night vision in the animal kingdom.
Owls also have incredible hearing. From its perch in a tree, an owl can hear a tiny mouse scurrying on the ground beneath a thick blanket of snow. Human ears are straight across from each other. In an owl's ears, one ear opening is higher than the other. The reason this happens is because it helps the owl pinpoint the exact location of a sound, which could be the difference between a good dinner or going hungry. An owl's face is circular in shape and gathers and focuses sound and light to make the owl an even more effective hunter. This isn't very apparent in burrowing owls though.
Favourite items on the owl menu include mice and other small mammals, birds, lizards, insects, and snakes. Great horned owls even eat skunks! It's a good thing they have a poor sense of smell. What passes for polite table manners at your house wouldn't "fly" in an owl family! Owls don't chew their food. They swallow it whole or tear it into pieces with their sharp beaks. Then all the parts they can't digest - bones, claws, teeth, fur, and feathers - are compacted into a pellet and coughed up. Scientists dissect these pellets and identify what's inside to learn about owls' diets.
Owls also have incredible hearing. From its perch in a tree, an owl can hear a tiny mouse scurrying on the ground beneath a thick blanket of snow. Human ears are straight across from each other. In an owl's ears, one ear opening is higher than the other. The reason this happens is because it helps the owl pinpoint the exact location of a sound, which could be the difference between a good dinner or going hungry. An owl's face is circular in shape and gathers and focuses sound and light to make the owl an even more effective hunter. This isn't very apparent in burrowing owls though.
Favourite items on the owl menu include mice and other small mammals, birds, lizards, insects, and snakes. Great horned owls even eat skunks! It's a good thing they have a poor sense of smell. What passes for polite table manners at your house wouldn't "fly" in an owl family! Owls don't chew their food. They swallow it whole or tear it into pieces with their sharp beaks. Then all the parts they can't digest - bones, claws, teeth, fur, and feathers - are compacted into a pellet and coughed up. Scientists dissect these pellets and identify what's inside to learn about owls' diets.
