The masters of the nighttime hunt have large eyes that let them make the best of dim light and soft feathers muffle nearly all noise during flight, allowing them to fly silent and unseen. Radiating feathers around each eye helps to funnel sound toward their ears, allowing them to pinpoint sounds with incredible precision. Owls feed on rodents, toads, frogs, insects and other small birds; whatever they can't digest, they regurgitate as pellets.
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Range: Worldwide except for Antarctica, parts of Greenland and some remote islands.
Characteristics: A short beak and large forward-facing eyes that are surrounded by disks of radiating feathers.