Page 86 - The World of Animals

like bristles on both sides of an owls' face, which

collect sound waves and send them into the

inner ear. These bristles also separate one ear from
the other and thus the sound coming from the right is
largely heard by the right ear. Moreover, the ears are not

positioned symmetrically on the head. One ear is higher than

the other. So, the owl perceives the sounds from different
directions and, although he does not see it, he correctly determines the
location of the creature that makes the sound. This is a very important

advantage in snowy weather, when it becomes hard to find prey.

Some birds produce various voices to mislead their predators. For
instance, many bird species that make nests in holes in trees hiss like

84 snakes when they are disturbed. So, predators attempting to attack
the nest stay away from it, assuming that there is a snake in it.

Besides, our Lord has given some bird species webbed feet to help
them swim faster when they are in water. These webbed feet are
similar to flippers. If you have ever worn flippers while swimming, you

will know how it helps you swim. Some

species have such flippers at birth.
Some bird species build fake