Falconry and falconeering with snow owls

The silent flight of the owl

The secret is in the feathers

Owls have feathers that have sound damping properties. It is the feathers of the owls that are very different from all the other types of birds of prey that allow them fly without making a sound.

Owl feather are sound damping

How can feathers dampen sound? If an object moves through air at speed it causes pressure waves or vibrations, we experience these vibrations or pressure waves as sound. Oehoe UilenveerIf we want to move through air at speed but don't want to cause any sound then we need to prevent that we cause any pressure waves in the air. The owls feathers do this because the feathers have little down hairs all over their surface and this causes turbulance (the air stream to break up) preventing pressure waves.
Uilenveer van dichtbij The turbulance caused by the lillte hairs on the feather cause the airflow to be broken up into smaller air streams that are sent in all directions preventing the buildup of a single audable air pressure wave. Airbus, a European aircraft manufacturer and the Southampron University are working together to research the owl silent flight and how this can be used to reduce aircraft noise.

Test it youself

What you need is lengthy stick preferably from a willow and some wool: Wip the stick through the air and you will hear a 'swish' as it cuts throught the air and causes pressure waves. All smooth and symetrical object that move through air at speed cause noise. Now take the wool and wind it around the stick, from the top to as far down as you can. Then wip it through the air again.... Now it make little to no sound at all. This is because the fibers of the wool are like the hairs on the owls feathers, cause turbulance and prevent the pressure waves we hear as sound.

There you have it, another one of natures amazing marvels explaind, the silent flight of owls.

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