Many owls, such as the Long-Eared Owl or Great Horned Owl, have what look
like ear tufts on their heads. Despite their appearance, however, these
have nothing to do with hearing.
An Eagle Owl.
Owls ears are situated at the margins of the facial disc. The outer borders
of the facial disc are formed by one or more special types of feathers, and
conceal the opening of the ears, which are very large. The facial discs
direct sound waves to the ears in the same way as the "dishes" of radio
telescopes do to their receivers. Owls can hear sounds pitched as high as
20,000 cycles per second - surpassing the highest human range of 8,000 cps.
A Great Horned Owl.
The ears are placed asymmetrically - one ear is higher than the other when
the owl's face is viewed head on. This heightens the bird's ability to
pinpoint a sound source, both in terms of direction and of distance.
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