Along with their excellent sight, owls also locate their prey with an acute sense of hearing. The openings to the ears are large, and hidden behind the facial disk. The right ear is positioned high on the head, while the left ear is low. In this way, sound reaches one ear before the other, and the owl is able to detect exactly where the sound is coming from. These are not connected to the ears, and are not used for hearing.
Owls fly on soft and silent wings.
They can maneuver among trees and shrubs, and drop on their prey without warning. Soft, comb-like projections on flight feathers effectively muffle the sound of air passing over the wings. Hawks and eagles depend more on speed than stealth to catch their prey. Many owls migrate to the southern portions of their breeding range to spend the winter. Others, like the great horned and pygmy owls, are resident in Alberta throughout the year, only marginally moving to more favorable hunting areas in winter.