Birds Trivia: Raptors, Birdsong and Epic Migrations

Compared with human vision, an eagle's eyesight is roughly…

• about the same
• twice as sharp
• four to five times sharper
• barely sharper at all

What makes an owl's flight almost completely silent?

• It only flies at very low speed
• Comb-like fringes on its wing feathers break up turbulence
• Its wings are covered in a thin layer of oil
• It glides without ever flapping

How does an osprey keep hold of a slippery fish?

• It wraps its wings around the prey
• A glue-like saliva sticks the fish to its beak
• A reversible outer toe and spiked footpads clamp the catch
• Its talons point only upward and lock on contact