- Large Corneas: Owls have big, round corneas that encompass a vast surface area. With huge corneas, owls could collect a lot of light, improving their night vision and enabling them to see in dim circumstances.
- Retina with Photoreceptor Dense: Owls have a remarkable retinal density. The retina is the organ that senses and transforms light into electrical impulses that the brain interprets as vision. Owls have more rods and cones in the retinae than humans do. The cones that allow for colored vision are in large numbers, so these owls can identify hues even in darkness. Additionally, they have a remarkable amount of rods, which enhance their night vision by sensing low light levels and identifying even the tiniest movements.
- Tapetum Lucidum: The tapetum lucidum is a special layer in the owl's eyes. It reflects light in the retina, increasing its light sensitivity. With this mirrored layer, more light is sent back through the retina, giving the owl a second chance to absorb photons and enhancing nocturnal vision.
Eye placement:
- Front-facing Eyes: Owl eyes are situated in front of their skulls. This design gives owls a wide visual field and an excellent binocular view, which allow for precise stereoscopic vision.
- Wide Field of View: The eyes of several owl species are situated sideways with considerable overlap, providing them very large visual fields. This gives owls a better chance of quickly detecting prey or possible threats.
Sensitivity to Light and Color:
- Low Light Sensitivity: Owl vision is especially sensitive to low light. Because they have big corneas and many photoreceptors, owls are able to perceive visual information in low-light situations where most other creatures would be unable to. This gives them a significant benefit when looking for prey at night.
- Color Vision: Owls have color vision, despite the fact that many people associate them with black-and-white vision. Owls can discern between green, blue, ultraviolet, and violet hues, which are essential for hunting and distinguishing prey.
Motion Sensitivity:
- Motion Detection: Motion detection is one of the main things that owls' vision is good at. Their keen sense of movement enables them to spot small objects and insects that move against a background of trees or dense foliage.
Overall, owls' eyes combine a number of evolutionary adaptations that enable them to successfully find prey and survive in their low-light environments due to their excellent night vision, wide visual fields, sensitivity to light, sensitivity to color, and ability to detect movement.