The eyes of an owl are possibly the most distinctive of all of the owl’s characteristics. One to five percent of an owl’s body weight may be due to its large, forward-facing wings. An owl’s “wise” appearance is due to the forward-facing aspect of its eyes, which also provides it with a wide range of “binocular” vision (seeing an object with both eyes at the same time). In other words, the owl has the same ability to assess distances as people do when viewing objects in three dimensions (height, breadth, and depth). An owl’s field of vision is 110 degrees, with binocular vision covering 70 of those degrees.
Humans, on the other hand, have a 180-degree field of view, with 140 degrees of that being binocular. As a result of its eyes being on the side of its head, the woodcock possesses a remarkable field of vision of 360 degrees. However, binocular vision can only see around ten degrees of this. There are many spectacular hunters in the avian world, such as eagles, hawks, and falcons, but one group of avian predators rules supreme at night.
Specialized wings for stealthy flight, asymmetrical ears for triangulating the locations of sounds emitted by their prey, and legs topped with deadly claws make owls ideal night-time predators. Birdwatchers are fascinated with owls’ eyes, which have a distinct personality all their own.
This means that owls and other birds don’t have the external ear structures that most mammals have; instead, their ears are just unadorned holes in the skull. In addition, the owls’ unusually large earholes and eyes provide a “behind the scenes” look at their visual system, demonstrating how the birds’ evolutionary adaptations to sight and hearing help them be so successful at stealthy nighttime hunting..
Intense stares from the position of owls’ penetrating eyes, both of which are positioned on the front of the head, like our own, give them a smart appearance. This arrangement is actually an adaptation for tracking the movements of possible prey.
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A trait that Owls share with humans and many other predatory species, Owls have 3-D or “binocular” vision when their two eyes overlap. This allows them to accurately calculate the distance between themselves and their targets, allowing them to precisely time their assaults. There is no group of birds with more forward-facing eyes than owls!
To maximize their efficiency in low-light situations, owls have big eyes. The eyes, in fact, are not eyeballs at all, but rather elongated tubes. Sclerotic rings are the bony structures that hold them in place in the skull. That’s why the only thing an owl can do is stare straight ahead, with its eyes frozen in place.
Dark Vision
Owls have more than just forward-facing eyes and additional eyelids when it comes to their visual abilities. They differ from other bird predators in that they almost exclusively prey at night. As a result, they must be able to see clearly in low light.
Owls are able to see after the sun has set thanks to their large eyes. As much as 5% of the weight of an owl’s body can be found in its eyes. As a comparison, the weight of your eyeballs is only 0.0003% of your overall body weight.
From the forward-looking position, the Owl can spin its head up to 180 degrees left or right and virtually upside down, making up for this lack of head mobility. In the owl skeletal system article, there are various adaptations that allow this.
In order for owls to be active at night, their eyes must be able to collect and process light efficiently. It all begins with a large cornea (the clear outer coating of the eye) and a larger pupil (the opening at the center of the eye). The iris regulates the size of the pupil (the colored membrane suspended between the cornea and lens). More light enters the lens and reaches the retina when the pupil is larger (light-sensitive tissue on which the image is formed).
Many of the light-sensitive, rod-shaped cells in the retina of an owl’s eye are appropriately dubbed “rod” cells. Despite their high sensitivity to light and movement, these cells have a poor response to color. Because the owl’s eye has so few “cone” cells (which are shaped like a cone), it tends to see in restricted color or monochrome.
Day Vision
It’s a frequent myth that owls can’t see well in the daylight due to their outstanding night vision. Not so fast! Like human pupils, owl pupils can constrict when exposed to strong light. They are able to adjust the amount of light that reaches the retina in each eye by dilation and contraction of the pupil.
While it may seem counterintuitive, the color of an owl’s eyes may tell you a lot about the species it is. Nocturnal owls (such as the Barred Owl) are more likely to have dark eyes, while daylight or twilight owls (such as the Great Horned Owl) are more likely to have bright orange or yellow eyes (like the Snowy Owl).
People frequently assume that owls are blind to bright light because of their exceptional night vision. Because their pupils may be adjusted in a wide range, the retina receives just the proper amount of light, which is not true. Owls can actually see better in strong light than humans can.
Owls have three eyelids to keep their eyes safe. Upper eyelids close when the owl blinks, and lower eyelids close when the owl is sleeping like they should. Thin tissue that forms the nictitating membrane closes the third eyelid diagonally across the eye, from the inside to the outside. It is a name given to this third eyelid. This removes dirt and protects the eye’s surface.
