As previously stated, owls can operate in almost totally dark conditions using binocular vision. Therefore, anything protruding in front of the eyes will present something of a barrier to their light-gathering abilities and so reduce their effectiveness. It points its beak downwards, out of its line of sight. At the top of the beak is the cere which houses the nostrils. Although owls, in common with diurnal raptors other than Turkey Vultures, are not believed to have much by way of a sense of smell, an experiment was done with a Tawny owl which happily ate 'good' pieces of liver but reportedly refused liver which had gone off.
Opinion seems to be divided on the subject.
While the feet generally dispatch an owl's prey, they are capable of killing it by a nip to the back of the skull with the beak Crines Spread around on either side of the beak, and clearly visible on our main photo, the crines are thin, protruding, hair-like feathers which have a very important purpose for owls in addition to that of dispersing dried blood. As mentioned earlier, the owl is basically blind to anything close-to. Say, for example, an owl has killed something which it has let go of. The owl cannot locate it by sound as it's not making any, and neither can the owl it see it as it is too close. These feathers are perhaps more vital for the young in the nest and are in fact the first feathers to develop.