Animal field note
Quiet flyer
Owl's Silent Wings
An owl can swoop onto a mouse in almost total darkness without making a single sound, thanks to wings built for silent flight.
Let's look closer
How does an owl fly without anyone hearing it coming?
he leading edge of an owl's wing feather has a soft, comb-like fringe that breaks up the rushing air into many tiny, quiet swirls instead of one loud whoosh. The trailing edge of the feather carries a soft, frayed fringe too, which further smooths the airflow as it leaves the wing. Together with the velvety, sound-absorbing down covering the rest of the feather, this lets an owl glide through the night almost silently, so the small animals below never hear it approach until it's far too late.
Look for this
Explorer clue
If you find a feather on the ground, run your finger along its edge; a soft, fringed edge like a paintbrush is a clue it may belong to an owl.
Your turn to wonder
Curiosity question
If you could move through the world without making a sound, where would you quietly explore first?
Keep wandering
