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The silent flight of owls has long fascinated ornithologists. No other birds fly with such stealth... First, the leading edge, or primary feathers, on the owls' wings are serrated like a comb. Second, the trailing feathers on the back end of the wing are tattered like the fringe of a scarf. And third, the rest of the owls' wings and legs are covered in velvety down feathers... owls' tattered fringe feathers help to break up the sound waves that are generated as air flows over the top of their wings and forms downstream wakes...

...the silence allows owls to more efficiently use their ears, which are positioned asymmetrically in their skulls: One ear is higher and more forward than the other, and each is shaped slightly different... owls, because of their ears' asymmetry, hear sounds slightly differently through each ear. This allows the raptors to more accurately determine where a sound is coming from.

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Tags: bird, flight, owl

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Comment by S G Maxson on October 2, 2010 at 3:59am
A "Beautiful" feathered "Bullet" on a silent trajectory. When I lived in the Bronx years ago I helped to heal a Long Eared Owl that I found injured in the 7 Lakes area above Nyack. I had to wear Welder's Gloves, as the strength of the talons of the Long Eared Owl were extremely powerful. Owls are amazing creatures whether they are tiny like a Scops Owl or Great Horned Owl. The Long Eared Owls wing healed, and I later released it back near where I had found it.
Comment by Vilma Salazar on September 2, 2010 at 2:08pm
Unbelievable capture, this is just fantastic, and great explanation!
Comment by John Hefford on August 19, 2010 at 12:43pm
Amazing shot - how did you manage to capture the owl in flight so perfectly?
Comment by Gerardo on April 27, 2010 at 8:00am
Such a big shot! Brava. Friendship needed...
Comment by Tess Elliott on March 26, 2010 at 3:11am
It's really interesting. Thanks for sharing. Guys if you want to see live nesting owl here's the link...http://www.ustream.tv/theowlbox
Comment by HSTEH on February 15, 2010 at 3:45am
Wow.....I love owls but there is none near my place...beautiful shots...I will keep visiting your site learning your technics...Cheers...
Comment by dorre araki on February 6, 2010 at 4:11am
It's so amazing. I love owls and it taguht me a lot.
Comment by Venkatesan on February 6, 2010 at 12:05am
wow.. it is a master piece. Thanks for sharing it, btw how did u do it.
Comment by Mike Harvey on February 3, 2010 at 3:06pm
i would call that a once in a life time shot something to be very proud of.
Comment by HEMANT on January 31, 2010 at 7:06pm
wow this is awesome thx for sharing :)

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