By Mindy Weisberger, Senior
Writer | February 7, 2018 06:14am ET
Some say that eyes are the
windows to the soul. But in owls, the ears are literally windows to the
animals' eyeballs.
Unnerving glimpses of the inside
of an owl's head — in which a view of the bird's sizable bluish-white eyeball
is visible through its ear hole — were captured in photos by writer and
naturalist James McCormac, author of "Birds of Ohio" (Lone Pine
Publishing, 2004), who shared the images with Live Science.
Like all birds, owls lack the
external ear structures found in most mammals; the birds' ears are unadorned
openings in their skulls, visible only when the feathers on the
sides of the animals' heads are parted. But these owls' unusually large
earholes and eyes also offer a "behind the scenes" peek at their
visual system, showcasing the evolutionary adaptations in sight and hearing
that make the birds so successful at stealthy nighttime hunting, McCormac told
Live Science. [Whooo
Knew? 10 Superb Facts About Owls]
McCormac photographed his owl
subjects — northern saw-whet owls (Aegolius
acadicus) — in southern Ohio during a data-collection initiative by Project Owlnet. In this
effort, scientists and members of the public track this owl species to
understand the bird's migration patterns.
Twice a year — in the fall and
spring — participants in the project use audio recordings that mimic the owls'
calls to lure the animals into nets, and then the researchers attach bands to
the owls' legs, according to the Project Owlnet website. Before the birds were
released, McCormac had the opportunity to take a closer look at their
heads — and to snap photos of the gaping holes showing the
bulging sacks of the animals' eyeballs, he told Live Science.
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