Northern Illinois Raptor Rehab & Education

Owls are a unique bird of prey.  They rely on hearing more than eyesight to find their prey.  Their ears, which are located roughly at eye level, are actually asymetrical with one being a little higher then the other.  Their round faces help to channel sound to the ears where they can triangulate the location of a sound.  They also have specially adapted feathers on their wings that alows them to have silent flight. Their eyes lack the muscles to move in their sockets and to compensate for that they have alot of movement in their necks.  Great horned owls can actually turn their heads 270 degrees.

Different species of owls can be active during the day or night.  They hunt a variety of prey, and they nest in a wide variety of environments. The owls that can be seen in Illinois include the barn owl, great horned owl, barred owl, short-eared owl, northern saw-whet owl, long-eared owl, and the snowy owl.