Owls 1
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Owls have binocular vision. That is how the owl knows just where to swoop down to catch a tiny mouse in a huge forest. Owls can shift focus from close up to far away very quickly. They can zoom in on a mouse as far as 600 feet away.
Describe what binocular vision means.
This kind of vision helps animals figure out how far away or close an object is.
True or False: Owls can't see well during the day.
False. Owl's eyes adjust to the amount of light coming into their pupils just like our eyes do.
What did you learn about an owl’s neck?
They have very long, flexible necks and can turn their heads so far back that they can see what's going on behind them. In fact, they can almost turn their heads all the way around without moving their bodies at all.
An owl's eyes are good at making use of very little light. Some, like the tawny owl, can see in light 100 times less bright than people can. At night, the owl's pupils open wide. They let in as much light as possible. The light hits a part of the eye called the retina. It is located at the back of the eye. The retina detects light. Humans have retinas, too.
What does pupil mean?
The pupil is an opening in the eye that lets in light.
How large would the human eye be if we compared it to the size of an owl?
The eye of the snowy owl is as big as a human's eye. However, owls have much smaller heads than humans do. If our eyes were that big, they'd be the size of oranges!
How many eyelids does an owl have?
3
What does each eyelid do?
The first is for blinking. The second is for sleeping. The third is for keeping the eye safe.
Sometimes owl's eyes seem to glow at night. What is that called?
eyeshade
Sometimes owl eyes seem to glow at night. This is called eyeshine. It happens because the rods and cells do not catch all of the light that enters the eye. Some of this extra light passes through the retina. Then it bounces off a part of the eye called the tapetum. The tapetum works like a mirror. It reflects the light back into the eyes. Even a small amount of light shining into the eyes will make them glow. Whales, deer, cats, crocodiles and some snakes also have eyeshine.
What does tapetum mean?
It is a part of the eye that works like a mirror. It reflects the light back into the eyes.
The retina is made up of tiny cells called rods and cones. Cones see light and colors. Rod cells can see in very low light, but they don't see color. To test this, try finding a blue T-shirt in a dark closet. Pretty tough to do, isn't it? Nocturnal animals have more rods than cones. They see well at night, but they don't see as much color.
Explain the difference between rods and cones.
Cones see light and colors. Rod cells can see in very low light, but they don't see color.
Some owls hunt during the day, but most prefer to hunt at night. Owls are nocturnal. Foxes, deer, cats and many other animals are also nocturnal.
What does nocturnal mean?
Active at night