Written by Kelsey Low
Houston is gearing up to celebrate football during one of the biggest sports events of the year: the Super Bowl. But on Saturday, February 4th, the day before the Super Bowl, the Arboretum is celebrating one of our wildest wonders: the superb owl. During our Family Owl Prowl, you and your family will get to meet and take photos with native owls. You’ll learn all about their haunts and habits, and you’ll even get to look for owls on a night hike around the Arboretum. To get you in the superb-owl spirit, here’s a few of the things that make owls truly superb:
Superb Eyes
Owls have incredible night vision thanks to their enormous eyes. Their eyes are so big that they need internal bones for support, and they take up so much room in the skull that you can see the back of the eyes through an owl’s ears.
Superb Ears
Owl ears are asymmetrical; one is a little higher up than the other, and they point in slightly different directions. This helps owls pinpoint exactly where sounds are coming from in three dimensions.
Superb Stealth
When most birds fly, you can hear the air rushing through their wings. However, owl wings are silent. Feathers on the leading edge of an owl’s wings have fluffy, serrated edges that break up the flow of air over the wing. Super soft, downy feathers absorb the rest of the sound so owls can sneak up on prey undetected.
Learn even more about our superb owls at the Family Owl Prowl on Saturday, February 4th from 5-7 pm. Enjoy drinks and snacks while you watch an owl presentation by the Wildlife Center of Texas, then go on a night hike to listen for owls at the Arboretum. Proceeds support the Houston Arboretum and the Wildlife Center of Texas.
