The silent flight superpower of a stealthy predator: The Owl

It would be hard to escape a predator that has night vision, excellent hearing, and can swoop down upon prey in complete silence. In this clip from Owl Power, via Nature on PBS, an 11 year old barn owl named Kensa provides a beautiful example of how perfectly silent owls are in flight.

With the help of a bird expert, a sound recordist, and a line of super-sensitive microphones, bird trainers Lloyd and Rose Buck test the flight sounds of their pigeon, their peregrine falcon, and Kensa, a stealthy predator. The difference between them is impressive.

Now compare the owl’s flight speed to that of the peregrine and a goose:

In the archives, watch more videos about owls, and check out this additionally impressive clip: How small of a space can a Northern Goshawk fly through?