![]() When closed, it also helps to protect the bird’s eyes but still allows some vision. Closing and opening it helps keep their eyes moist and clean. Two of their eyelids are just like ours they move up and down to close their eyes. The third eyelid is known as a nictitating membrane, and this is the eyelid they use to blink with. It is a thin, semi-transparent lid, which moves from side to side. Not too shabby!įor additional protection, raptor eyes are equipped with not one, not two, but three eyelids. However, it can turn its head at least 180 degrees, maybe up to 270 degrees, from a forward-facing position. Contrary to popular belief, an owl cannot turn its head 360 degrees from a forward facing position. To compensate, birds of prey are equipped with flexible necks and are able to turn their heads a lot more than we can. To look left or right or up or down, the bird must move its entire head. Because of this, birds of prey can’t move their eyes in their heads like we can. To start with, raptors’ eyes are surrounded by bone, which helps protect the eye and hold it in place within the skull. Accordingly, they have several features that help protect these valuable organs. Critical for survivalĪs you can see (no pun intended), a raptor’s eyes are very important to its survival. They probably can’t see too well in pitch blackness, even the tiniest amount of light from the moon or other source enables them to see and catch their prey. Their urine trails are like neon signs that lead the raptors right to them. Diurnal raptors, which are active during the day, have good color vision. Owls, which are mostly nocturnal or active at night, have less ability to see in color, but they do have the amazing ability to see in very low light conditions. Some rodents produce urine and feces containing elements that reflect UV light. ![]() This may be beneficial for many reasons, including allowing them to see urine trails left by some prey animals such as mice and voles. Most birds are able to see ultraviolet (UV) light, which is invisible to humans. This isn’t some kind of strange dance. Raptors do this to triangulate an object and better determine how far away it is. If you watch a bird of prey long enough, you will probably see it bob its head from side to side, move its head around in circles, or even turn its head almost completely upside down. On the other hand, forward facing eyes are important for an animal that makes its living chasing moving prey. This eye placement works well for deer to see predators that try to sneak up on them. Notice that the deer’s eyes are much farther apart, almost on the sides of its head. Compare a raptor’s eyes with those of a prey animal, such as a deer. This helps them determine how far or close an object is. First, the birds have what is called binocular vision. Like many other animals that hunt for food, including humans, a raptor’s eyes face forward, which creates some overlap between what the right eye and left eye see. To help them do all of these amazing things, raptors’ eyes have many interesting adaptations. Raptors also use their eyesight to identify other members of their species and to avoid predators. In fact, scientists have shown that some raptors can spot medium-sized prey from at least 1 mile (1.6 km) away. That would be like spotting a rabbit across more than 17 football fields lined up in a row! If that weren’t impressive enough, birds of prey must be able to maintain focus on their prey while in fast pursuit and as they close in. Since most raptors are hunters, they must be able to see their prey, sometimes from great distances, and calculate just the right moment to strike. Think of the expressions “watching like a hawk” or “eagle eyes.” They refer to the amazing eyesight of all birds of prey, not just eagles and hawks.
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