How can owls see at night?

1 ANSWERS

1. Brett
   

   As most owls are active at night, their eyes must be very efficient at collecting and processing light. This starts with a large cornea (the transparent outer coating of the eye) and pupil (the opening at the centre of the eye). When the pupil is larger, more light passes through the lens and onto the large retina (light sensitive tissue on which the image is formed). The retina of an owl's eye has an abundance of light-sensitive, cells. These cells are very sensitive to light and movement, they do not react well to colour. Owls therefore see in limited colour or in monochrome.
   
   Since Owls have extraordinary night vision, it is often thought that they are blind in strong light. This is not true, because their pupils have a wide range of adjustment, allowing the right amount of light to strike the retina. Some species of Owls can actually see better than humans in bright light.

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