Mesmerizing video proving that owls fly in complete silence is blowing people's minds

When one thinks of birds flying, the two things that immediately come to mind are the sight of their wings flapping and the sound of air being moved around them. So, we tend to assume that all birds get somewhat noisy when they fly. However, there is one bird that stands as an exception to this by flying very silently. Owls, small or large, somehow manage to fly around without making any sound from their wings.

A team from BBC Earth wanted to test out the actual difference in the sounds made by owls and other birds while flying in order to understand just how silent the nocturnal raptors really are. The team brings in a pigeon, a peregrine falcon and a barn owl to fly from one point to the other, with mics lined up alongside their flight path to record the sound made by their wings. They record all three of the birds, with the pigeon making the most noise and the owl making almost none at all.

Upon examining the birds in closer detail, one is able to see why owls are able to fly with almost no noise. A pigeon has a large body coupled with small wings, which means that they have to flap their wings a lot to stay in the air. The peregrine falcon, on the other hand, has larger wings but is focused on building speed with them, which also contributes to some noise. The barn owl is very different from both of these birds as it has large wings fitted onto a small body, which allows for effortless lift, contributing to less flapping and in turn, less sound.

According to Audubon, the structure of the owl's wings also plays a key role in reducing the sound that is usually accompanied by flapping them. One can observe comb-like serrations located on the edge of the feathers that "break up" turbulent air that would have created a swooshing sound. The wings are also composed of a velvety texture, which works with a trailing edge to control airflow and reduce the sound that is produced. Owls evolved to fly silently to survive better in the wild.

Silent flying allows owls to sneak up on their prey in stealth and ultimately prevents their escape. It also allows owls to track their prey better without the disturbance of their wings flapping. Owls mostly tend to consume small animals like mice, which can be quite difficult to track with vision, which is why they rely on sound. Even when the dietary preferences of owls across continents varied, they were all found to have feathers in their wings that worked well to reduce noise. Krista Le Piane, a graduate student at the University of California, Riverside, looked at 70 species of owls by examining their specific characteristics and evolution over time.

She discovered that owls that consumed fish had narrower combs in their wings, which meant they were slightly noisier than other owls that consumed other types of prey. She explained, "We expect owls hunting organisms that hear well, like mammals, to have increased features associated with silent flight. And owls hunting prey that don’t hear well, like insects, and prey that can’t hear them approach, like fish, should have decreased features that aid in silent flight." Either way, it is quite fascinating to note how owls manage to cut down on noise and fly effortlessly.