the owl

There are around 200 different owl species. They are nocturnal animals who sleep during the day and hunt during the night. They are carnivores who hunt rodents, insects, frogs, fish, and other birds. The Barn owl is incredibly beneficial for farmers because it hunts rodents in the barns and fields. They can eat up to a thousand mice each year. Owls are extremely successful hunters as they are silent in flight. They have special soft feathers that muffle the sound of the moving wings, allowing them to approach their prey unnoticed. They have the most developed sense of hearing of all birds. Most owl species have asymmetrical ears of different sizes and heights on their heads. This gives them superior hearing and the ability to pinpoint where the prey is located, even if they cannot see it. Their flattened face also funnel sounds to their ears and magnify them as much as ten times to help them hear various sounds. While other birds have eyes on the sides of their heads, an owl's large eyes face forward. They cannot move their eyes but can turn their heads as much as 270 degrees to follow moving objects. This is possible because they have 14 vertebrae instead of the seven vertebrae typically found in other birds. They have three eyelids - one for blinking, one for sleeping, and one for keeping the eye clean and healthy.