Photo by Alan Murphy
Even with its face showing, it’s still very hidden!
Reminds me of the time late at night when I saw an owl fly overhead and was amazed at what nothing sounded like. No flaps, no rustling, no noise whatsoever. It was freakishly silent - as you would expect for a predator.
They have some really great adaptations. They have longer wings than the average bird, requiring less flapping. I likened this before to a larger cooling fan being able to run at a lower RPM to provide the same CFM, making the fan quieter, which seemed to explain it well to a tech crowd like we have here.
Their feathers are also much less dense and more flexible than other birds, and the trailing edges are fringed to break up the major turbulence to kill sound. Getting to handle owl feathers is one of the most informative things I’ve experienced in my amateur owl research. If you’ve never had the chance, I encourage any owl fans to go to a local program where you can learn about owl. They will usually pass around bones and feathers or wings and you can really learn a lot by touch.