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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.