How Do Owls Hunt in the Dark?

Step 1 of 5

The eyes gather every scrap of light.

Owl eyes are enormous and tube-shaped, packed with light-sensitive cells. They are so large they cannot rotate — which is why owls turn their heads.

Step 2 of 5

But hearing does the real work.

Owls can catch prey in complete darkness. Sound, not sight, is what pinpoints a mouse under leaves or snow.

Step 3 of 5

Their ears are deliberately lopsided.

One ear sits higher than the other. A sound from below reaches the lower ear slightly sooner — which gives vertical position, not just left and right.

Step 4 of 5

The face is a sound dish.

The flat ring of stiff facial feathers collects sound and funnels it to the ears, working like a satellite dish for hearing.

Step 5 of 5

Their wings make no sound.

A comb-like fringe on the leading feather breaks up turbulence. Silent flight means the prey hears nothing, and the owl's own hearing stays clear.

Barn owls have been shown to strike prey accurately in a room with no light whatsoever.