Barn Owl Flying

Location not disclosed · 2026-02-14

A barn owl gliding low across open ground while hunting.

A barn owl's flight is close to silent: the leading edge of each feather is fringed rather than smooth, which breaks up the turbulence that normally makes a bird's wingbeat audible. That silence is a hunting adaptation — it lets the owl hear a rodent's rustle in the grass right up until the moment it strikes.