I am an owl named “Najma”, known among Zoo visitors for the Wings of Sahara Show, where I present with my friends: the eagles, falcons, and mice, in the presence of a big excited crowd. Owls like me can swivel our heads through to 270 degrees and hunt quietly using our extraordinary hearing ability.
I present in a segment of the show featuring our hunting skill of swallowing a long strip of meat without chewing, while my friend Barney presents in another segment demonstrating our amazing hearing ability by finding the sound source in wooden boxes.We can hunt without eyesight, and we can do this by relying on our ability to hear accurately. Our extraordinary hearing ability is razor sharp and operates just like radar.
Don’t be surprised because unlike other birds whose eyes are on the sides of their head, owl eyes are front facing. This explains why we swivel our heads to 270 degrees, so that I can see clearly around me. I have three eyelids, an upper and lower, and the third one is called the nictitating membrane. I close the upper eyelid when I blink and the lower one when I sleep. As for the third eyelid, it is made out of a thin layer of membrane and closes diagonally across the eye. A quick blink with this third eyelid and it cleans and moisturizes our eyes.