Owl Sight and Hearing

Owls are unable to move their eyes in the sockets because of the eyes’ size and tubular shape. To compensate, they have a deceptively long, flexible neck which enables them to turn their head 270° in either direction horizontally and at least 90° vertically. Owls cannot in fact turn their heads right around to 360° as is often thought.

Tawny owls have the best-developed eyes of all the owl species - their eyes are about 100 times more sensitive at low light levels than our own.

Most owls have incredible hearing, which they rely on more than sight when hunting. Many owls have one ear higher than the other; the higher ear focuses on sounds from above, and the lower ear focuses on sounds from below. The shape of an owl’s head also helps to trap sound waves and improve hearing even further.