Track 34

Track 34

Hello everyone. As you know, this week’s lectures are on wildlife in Britain, and today we’re going to look at the barn owl, which is a common nocturnal creature around the British Isles. Now, if you have a look at page three of your handout, you will see an outline of a barn owl. Now, it looks like a harmless creature, but this actually couldn’t be further from the truth. They may be relatively harmless to you and me, but to the British rodent, they are a killer! Now, why is this?

Well, firstly it has a lot to do with their swiftness and silence. Look, for example, at the wings, which can vary from 80cm to 95cm. That’s almost a metre! Wings that large have a great deal of power. Now, most people think that beaks are probably the way most birds hunt. But these beaks, which are curved downwards, are not used to hunt prey.

When owls hunt prey, they have two massive anatomical advantages. Firstly, their feathers, which have serrated edges, can separate from each other. This makes their flight absolutely silent, so they can approach their prey unnoticed. It is their claws which are used to catch prey. Once they are upon the prey, the extremely powerful claws go into action. So, you’ll see, they are not really as sweet’ as they look! Now, their habitats…