Predator Vs. Prey

Eastern Screech-Owl vs. White-Throated Sparrow

Silent Strike

Special feathers muffle the rush of air, so an owl can swoop without making a sound.

Talon-ted Toes

A screech-owl can rotate its outer toes backwards to get a stronger grip on wiggly prey.

Alarm Calls

When one sparrow sounds the alarm — chip, chip, chip! — others join in as they all dash for cover.

Eyes Spy

Feeding in a flock gives each sparrow extra eyes to watch for danger.

And the winner is…

Flocks offer predators extra targets, which drops the danger for individual birds. Most of the white-throats escape unscathed, but one sparrow sputters on takeoff and winds up as owl chow.