A Variety of Facial Discs

From Haringsee Raptor Center

The owl's facial disc is beautiful to look at, but for the owls, this has an even more important meaning.

The special arrangement of the feathers amplifies and directs sound waves directly to their ears. These are located right at the edge of the facial disc, on both sides of the head.

For night hunters, it is very important to be able to orient themselves even in complete darkness and to locate their prey using their sense of hearing. In order to accurately locate the rustling of a mouse, the ears are also offset in height. The slight time delay with which the sound reaches the ears provides the owl with a three-dimensional image and allows it to determine the exact distance of the sound.

A very special adaptation to the lifestyle of these fascinating birds!

Barn Owl

Boreal Owl

Ural Owl

Long Eared Owl