Short-eared Owl
A SEO hunting with both its ears and eyes, studies the snow covered ground below.
Wetaskiwin County, Alberta.
The following information about an owls ability to locate prey is a bit long but well worth the read:
"To Audiologists, the fascinating thing about Owls is their hearing. They possess a unique type of directional hearing that allows them to focus on their prey with precision. Their hearing picks up even the faintest of sounds, which enables them to take prey in complete darkness.
Owl ears and the shape of the ear opening or aperture varies from round and small to an oblong slit, depending on the species. Some species have a valve called an operculum covering the ear opening.
Some of the more strictly nocturnal species have asymmetrically set ear openings (i.e., one ear is located higher than the other). These same species use their pronounced facial discs like radar dishes to guide sounds into their ears. When an owl hears a sound, it can tell its direction because of the minute time difference between when the sound is perceived in the left and right ears. Turning its head so that the sound arrives at both ears simultaneously gets it looking in the exact direction from which the sound is coming. Owls can detect a left/right time difference of about 0.00003 seconds (30 millionths of a second)! Using its asymmetrical ear openings, it lines up on the sound on the vertical plane. All these signals combine instantly in the owl’s brain, creating a mental image of the space where the sound source is located.
So accurate are these senses that an owl can capture prey in total darkness without the aid of its eyes and can even capture prey under snow. An Owl’s range of audible sounds is not unlike that of humans (200-12,000 Hz), but an Owl’s hearing is much more acute at certain frequencies enabling it to hear even the slightest movement of their prey in leaves or undergrowth. The translation of left, right, up and down signals are combined instantly in the Owl’s brain, and create a mental image of the space where the sound source is located.
Once the Owl has determined the direction of its next victim, it will fly toward it, keeping its head in line with the direction of the last sound the prey made. If the prey moves, the Owl can make corrections mid-flight. When about 60 cm (24″) from the prey, the Owl will extend its feet forward and spread its talons in an oval pattern. Then, just before striking, the bird will thrust its legs out in front of its face and often close its eyes before the kill. Studies of Owl brains have revealed that the medulla (the area in the brain associated with hearing) is much more complex than in other birds. A Barn Owl’s medulla is estimated to have at least 95,000 neurons – three times as many as a Crow..."
Directional Hearing in Owls….Robert M. Traynor, Ed.D.
Short-eared Owl
A SEO hunting with both its ears and eyes, studies the snow covered ground below.
Wetaskiwin County, Alberta.
The following information about an owls ability to locate prey is a bit long but well worth the read:
"To Audiologists, the fascinating thing about Owls is their hearing. They possess a unique type of directional hearing that allows them to focus on their prey with precision. Their hearing picks up even the faintest of sounds, which enables them to take prey in complete darkness.
Owl ears and the shape of the ear opening or aperture varies from round and small to an oblong slit, depending on the species. Some species have a valve called an operculum covering the ear opening.
Some of the more strictly nocturnal species have asymmetrically set ear openings (i.e., one ear is located higher than the other). These same species use their pronounced facial discs like radar dishes to guide sounds into their ears. When an owl hears a sound, it can tell its direction because of the minute time difference between when the sound is perceived in the left and right ears. Turning its head so that the sound arrives at both ears simultaneously gets it looking in the exact direction from which the sound is coming. Owls can detect a left/right time difference of about 0.00003 seconds (30 millionths of a second)! Using its asymmetrical ear openings, it lines up on the sound on the vertical plane. All these signals combine instantly in the owl’s brain, creating a mental image of the space where the sound source is located.
So accurate are these senses that an owl can capture prey in total darkness without the aid of its eyes and can even capture prey under snow. An Owl’s range of audible sounds is not unlike that of humans (200-12,000 Hz), but an Owl’s hearing is much more acute at certain frequencies enabling it to hear even the slightest movement of their prey in leaves or undergrowth. The translation of left, right, up and down signals are combined instantly in the Owl’s brain, and create a mental image of the space where the sound source is located.
Once the Owl has determined the direction of its next victim, it will fly toward it, keeping its head in line with the direction of the last sound the prey made. If the prey moves, the Owl can make corrections mid-flight. When about 60 cm (24″) from the prey, the Owl will extend its feet forward and spread its talons in an oval pattern. Then, just before striking, the bird will thrust its legs out in front of its face and often close its eyes before the kill. Studies of Owl brains have revealed that the medulla (the area in the brain associated with hearing) is much more complex than in other birds. A Barn Owl’s medulla is estimated to have at least 95,000 neurons – three times as many as a Crow..."
Directional Hearing in Owls….Robert M. Traynor, Ed.D.