The Owlet Mall and more : anatomy of owls

Saturday, March 21, 2015

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.

                                                       Learn more in this video:

Then enjoy owls in fight with these unique designed gift products:

Eagle Owl In Flight Postcards by wildlifecollection
Make postcards from photos online at zazzle.com

Snowy Owl in Flight on Lavender Background Throw Pillows by BuckHawkBirdNest
Check out more Zazzle Pillows

A Barn Owl in flight Poster by aquartistic
See more Barn Posters

Disney Winnie The Pooh Wise Owl Coffee Mugs by disney
Look at more Bird Mugs at zazzle

Owl Large Messenger Bag by ErikaKai
Browse Owl Messenger Bags

Owl in flight tee shirts by Peninink
Check out other Owl T-Shirts at zazzle.com

Brown Owls in Flight Shirt by Memory_Lane
Find more Animal T-Shirts at Zazzle

Owl in flight bumper sticker by Peninink
View additional bumper stickers.

WHITE OWL IN FLIGHT CARD by Yongsin05
View other White Cards at Zazzle.com

Adult Barn Owl in Flight Plates by corbisimages
Look at another Plate

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Owls Light the Way

Well, summer vacation is over, school has resumed, and the days are getting shorter. Soon we’ll be driving home from work in the dark, or close to it, and turning house lights on much sooner. However, for the majority of the owls species, shorter days are not a problem, being that they are mostly nocturnal. These birds of prey hunt deep in the night and are seldom, if ever, seen during the day. If you do, it could be because it was chased out of its roost, or the poor thing is starving. There is an exception, some nocturnal owls might be seen during cloudy days. Now, for some other owl species, hunting time may began a little earlier or end later, and you could spot them at dawn or dusk.

In any event, owls have superior vision, regardless whether they are night or day owls. Their eyes are very large to allow more light to get through, which is especially beneficial for the nocturnal species as it helps them see well in the dark. The eyes are also face forward which we associate with the "wise owl" look. However, their eyes are stationary and they can only see straight ahead of them, with only a 70 degree binocular range (seeing an object with both eyes). In comparison, humans have a 140 degree binocular range. Therefore, for owls to see the sides, they must move their whole head. That accounts for their awesome ability to turn their heads around up to 270 degrees, and up to 90 degrees up and down.

Owls have three eyelids: an upper and lower lid, and a third one called a nictitating membrane, which is used to clean and protect the eye. One interesting fact about owl eyes is that they are not 'eye balls' as we know it, but elongated tubes. The anatomy of the owl eyes makes it very sensitive to light and movement, but colors are limited and are mostly in monochrome. Nevertheless, some owls see better than humans in daylight, as well as, in bright light. So, unlike humans, owls don't need light to get around in the dark. They don't ever have to worry about running into a door, or, stumping their toe on a chair, or stepping on the cat's tail like we do. Luckily for us, lamps and nightlights are readily available and, if designed with owls, then all the better!