The foremost adaptation owls have developed to hunt at night is extremely acute eyesight. Their eyes are sunk in shallow dishes, which serve to collect and intensify light. The proportion of an owl's skull and brain devoted to its eyes is much larger than that of other bird families.
Owls' eyes are on the front of their heads, with the two fields of vision overlapping entirely. To compensate, the birds can turn their heads completely backward.
Since owls locate their prey by very faint sounds that may be obscured by the rustling of wings, they have developed very soft feathers on their wings, legs, and bodies to muffle the sound.
Owls also rely heavily on their extremely acute hearing. They have very large (feather-covered) ear openings and cochleas, and one ear is higher than the other, so that by turning its head to make a sound's intensity equal, the bird homes in on the sound and faces it directly. It then can zero in on the kill.
Owls' eyes are on the front of their heads, with the two fields of vision overlapping entirely. To compensate, the birds can turn their heads completely backward.
Since owls locate their prey by very faint sounds that may be obscured by the rustling of wings, they have developed very soft feathers on their wings, legs, and bodies to muffle the sound.
Owls also rely heavily on their extremely acute hearing. They have very large (feather-covered) ear openings and cochleas, and one ear is higher than the other, so that by turning its head to make a sound's intensity equal, the bird homes in on the sound and faces it directly. It then can zero in on the kill.