The Great Grey Owl Takes A Deadly Plunge | America The Beautiful | National Geographic WILD UK
The great grey owl is a master of the winter hunt.
Minnesota marks the southern border of her range.
At dusk, her hunt begins.
She scans the bare trees and barren lands.
Her deep-set yellow eyes are legendary,
but it's the shape of her face that helps here.
Her two large circles of plumage are called facial discs,
and they're the largest of any owl species.
They act like satellite dishes,
only instead of receiving the nightly news,
they channel the smallest sound.
Even the scurry of tiny rodent feet.
She can't see her prey once it ducks under the snow,
but hovers above the sound.
Then, an incredible maneuver, rarely seen.
The great grey owl is a master of the silent but deadly vertical plunge.