Close up of the face of a Northern Harrier hawk. It shows the facial disc (a round area that funnels sound to its ears). Like owls, they hunt by sound rather than sight.

Close up of a Northern Harrier. Notice the 'facial disc' of feathers around its face. Like an owl, the purpose of the facial disc is to funnel sounds toward its ears since Harriers hunt by sound rather than by sight.

#raptor
#hawk
#northernharrier
#facialdisc
#photography
#birds

All great horned owls have a #facialdisc. This can be reddish, brown, or gray in color and is demarked by a dark rim culminating in bold, blackish side brackets. This species' "horns" are tufts of feathers, called #plumicorns. Pic Phil Leighton. #GreatHornedOwl

The concavity of the #facialdisc in the #GreatHornedOwl forms a circular paraboloid that collects sound waves and directs those #soundwaves towards the #owl's ears. Its diet consist mostly of #rabbits #hares #rats #mice & #voles. Pic by @Natbat

Day 19 of #JRBPvirtualtour! In this Friday night, we bring you, the #GreatHornedOwl (#Bubo #virginianus). Did you know that great horned owls have a #facialdisc? This is the concave collection of #feathers on the face of some #birds—most notably owls—surrounding the eyes. #owl