Editing Owl (section)

==== Flight and feathers ====
{{external media|width=230px|video1=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_FEaFgJyfA Experiment! How Does An Owl Fly So Silently?], from [[BBC Earth]]}}
Most owls share an innate ability to fly almost silently and also more slowly in comparison to other birds of prey. Most owls live a mainly nocturnal lifestyle and being able to fly without making any noise gives them a strong advantage over prey alert to the slightest sound in the night. A silent, slow flight is not as necessary for diurnal and crepuscular owls given that prey can usually see an owl approaching. Owls' feathers are generally larger than the average birds' feathers, have fewer radiates, longer pennulum, and achieve smooth edges with different [[rachis]] structures.<ref name="Bachmann2007"/> Serrated edges along the owl's remiges bring the flapping of the wing down to a nearly silent mechanism. The serrations are more likely reducing aerodynamic disturbances, rather than simply reducing noise.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Stevenson|first=John|date=November 18, 2020|title=Small finlets on owl feathers point the way to less aircraft noise|work=[[Phys.org]]|url=https://phys.org/news/2020-11-small-finlets-owl-feathers-aircraft.html|access-date=November 20, 2020}}</ref> The surface of the flight feathers is covered with a velvety structure that absorbs the sound of the wing moving. These unique structures reduce noise frequencies above 2&nbsp;kHz,<ref name="Neuhaus1973"/> making the sound level emitted drop below the typical hearing spectrum of the owl's usual prey<ref name="Neuhaus1973"/><ref name=Willott/> and also within the owl's own best hearing range.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dyson |first1=M. L. |last2=Klump |first2=G. M. |last3=Gauger |first3=B. |title=Absolute hearing thresholds and critical masking ratios in the European barn owl: a comparison with other owls |journal=Journal of Comparative Physiology |date=April 1998 |volume=182 |issue=5 |pages=695–702 |doi=10.1007/s003590050214|s2cid=24641904 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Webster |first1=Douglas B. |last2=Fay |first2=Richard R. |title=The Evolutionary Biology of Hearing |date=December 6, 2012 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-1-4612-2784-7 |page=547 |chapter=Hearing in Birds}}</ref> This optimizes the owl's ability to silently fly to capture prey without the prey hearing the owl first as it flies, and to hear any noise the prey makes. It also allows the owl to monitor the sound output from its flight pattern.
[[File:Great Horned Owl in a Rain Storm in the Mojave.jpg|thumb|right|A [[great horned owl]] with wet [[feathers]], waiting out a [[rainstorm]]]]

The disadvantage of such feather adaptations for barn owls is that their feathers are not waterproof.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/news/barn-owl-feathers|first=Charlotte|last=Owen|title=Barn Owl feathers|publisher=[[Sussex Wildlife Trust]]|date=23 August 2022|access-date=11 February 2024}}</ref> The adaptations mean that barn owls do not use the [[uropygial gland]], informally the "preen" or "oil" gland, as most birds do, to spread oils across their plumage through preening.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aiwc.ca/blog/unveiling-the-intricate-mechanisms-of-avian-waterproofing/|first=Julia|last=Gaume|title=Unveiling the intricate mechanisms of avian waterproofing|publisher=Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation|date=26 July 2023|access-date=13 February 2024}}</ref> This makes them highly vulnerable to heavy rain when they are unable to hunt.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.barnowltrust.org.uk/barn-owl-facts/barn-owl-adaptations/#:~:text=Compared%20with%20other%20birds%2C%20Barn,increase%20noise%20and%20reduce%20efficiency.|title=Barn Owl adaptations|publisher=[[Barn Owl Trust]]|access-date=11 February 2024}}</ref> Historically, they would switch to hunting indoors in wet weather, using [[barn]]s and other agricultural buildings, but the decline in the numbers of these structures in the 20th and 21st centuries has reduced such opportunities.<ref name="auto"/> The lack of waterproofing means that barn owls are also susceptible to drowning, in [[Manger|drinking troughs]] and other structures with smooth sides. The [[Barn Owl Trust]] provides advice on how this can be mitigated, by the installation of floats.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.barnowltrust.org.uk/hazards-solutions/water-troughs-barn-owls/|title=Barn Owl Hazards: Water troughs|publisher=[[Barn Owl Trust]]|access-date=11 February 2024}}</ref>