(Several suggested the name simply contrasts them with long-eared owls, a similar bird in the same genus with much more pronounced tufts.) Ears or no, the owls are captivating. Their facial disk ...

Owls may have amazing eyes, but it's their ears that do the real work when hunting. And it's their apparent imperfections that make them so effective. Many species of owl have ears that are not ...

Though people often think owls’ ears are on top of their heads, they’re actually closer to the center of their face, which is fringed by a ring of sound-reflecting feathers that funnel sounds ...

“By manipulating the shape of its facial disc, the owl can direct those sounds right into the ear.” (Learn more about the owl’s super-hearing.) This exceptional hearing is how great gray ...

The owl was the size of a terrier, but languidly buoyant in the way of a day-old Mylar balloon, and to my ears silent. In the pin-drop quiet, it bounced along the balustrade. I never heard its ...

The hawk-owl has direct and fast flight, swooping to attack, like its namesake. These birds lack the asymmetrical ear placement that characterizes owls. Your ears match left to right, or should.

Nearly all owls that appear in Ohio are migrants or winterers, although short-ears have bred here on occasion. This is the winter to find short-eared owls. They are notoriously cyclical in annual ...