The Owlet Mall and more : The Owl's' Silent Flight

     There's much mystique surrounding owls and one of them is their unique ability to sneak up on their prey while in flight. When other birds fly, their flapping wings create turbulence (air gushing over the surface of the wings) which emits a noise, thereby, giving warning of their coming. Owls, on the other hand, have a special wing design and other body characteristics that gives them the ability to fly in complete silence.

     For starters, the owl's broad wings helps it glide in the air without having to flap too often. When they do need to flap, their unique wing design reduces the noise made by turbulence. They are able to do that, in part, by their primary feathers which are serrated, or comb-like, that breaks down the turbulence into smaller air currents. These primary serrated feathers are called 'fimbriae' or 'flutings'. The edge of these feathers are also softer, allowing more air to pass through which further reduce the noise. There is some speculation that these soft feathers may also shift the sound energy to a frequency beyond the hearing of prey and humans. Furthermore, the down-like feathers on the owl's legs serves as noise reduction.

      These intriguing characteristics of the owl's silent flight have captured the attention of scientists who are now working on developing a quieter aircraft.

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