Video proving that owls fly in complete silence

[Submariner]

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.

More: https://scoop.upworthy.com/mesmerizing-video-proving-that-owls-fly-in-complete-silence-is-blowing-peoples-minds

[SarahD]

1. Soft feathers.

My family had an old granary with a pair of barn owls. They would sometimes sneak up behind me and perch on a beam, looking at me while moving their heads in circles and figure eights. I'm not sure if they were curious or amusing themselves. Later, I worked with spotted owls and the males were very eager to fly down and observe the human intruders at close range. Sometimes I could hear a slight whisper of moving air, but usually not. I love owls.

[Deuxcents]

2. Owls are cool 😎 There are so many species of owls and learned a lot about them from PBS Nature

I’ll bookmark this one but it looks familiar right off. Thanks for the video

[keithbvadu2]

3. Never heard it coming.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/31EXv_uPJNY

[Baitball Blogger]

4. Lethal super power.

Great for hunting wabbits.

[FirstLight]

5. I found a Great White feather on a trail one time!

Kept it for a few years... it was almost furry on one side, to muffle the sound... truly amazing

[2naSalit]

6. That was cool!

I see owls from time to time, the only time I hear them is when they re calling out. I did have a Great horned owl mating ritual take place in the trees in my yard once. That was unusual, there was a lot of vocalizing, they all have different voices, several males were courting a female.

Birds are interesting creatures.