Day Shift Hawks and Night Shift Owls: How Their Work Varies

Both hawks and owls are common raptor species seen in the region and often admired by nature lovers and photographers alike. Both can be spotted on hydro poles overlooking fields, their hunting grounds. I want to explore what makes these two magnificent hunters so drastically different. These two are striking raptor species, but with very different adaptations that allow them to hunt successfully.

The territory of both an owl and a hawk could be the same field, but they "work it" in shifts. Hawks are generally active during the day, or diurnal. Owls are generally more active at night and can be considered nocturnal, for some it is more accurate to refer to them as crepuscular which means that they are most active at dusk and dawn. Nature has actually found a way to spread different species over the 24 hours of a day while occupying the same spaces. Between diurnal, nocturnal and crepuscular species there is an animal assigned to every hour. Given the differences in the time of day that they hunt, they have adapted accordingly.

Because owls generally occupy darkness, they are adapted to do it successfully. There are several important adaptations to note:

1. The Eyes: hawks can only see as well as you or I at night, but owls eyes are quite large in order to use more light from the moon and stars. Even the shape of the eyeballs is specialized, creating a longer distance front to back to aid in creating images. Because this shape differentiation doesn't allow their eyes to move side to side like ours, they must rotate their entire head to look around. For this reason, they are also able to swivel their heads almost 270 degrees to view their surroundings. Hawks primarily use their eyes for hunting and are known for their sharp vision, they can spot prey from 100 feet away, but they are only capable of doing this in the light.

This cheeky Barred Owl depicts how they have large eyes placed centrally, with no peripheral vision. Photo by Shayna Hartley

This photo of a Red-Tailed hawk shows that comparatively, hawks eyes are positioned quite differently. 

2. The Ears: being able to triangulate prey location by sound is a massive advantage in the dark. Owls have one ear that is higher than the other so they can hone in on sound to determine location. Hawks do not have to rely on sound as much during the day and primarily use vision for hunting.

3. The Feathers: the flap of an owls wings is notably quieter than that of a hawk. Owls have specialized feathers with fluffy edges that are very quiet when moving through the air. By flying more silently, they are able to avoid startling prey and focus on hearing the movement of other species. Hawks wings create quite a bit more sound when moving through the air, but once they spot prey they can dive at speeds reaching almost 250 km/h, leaving little chance for escape.

4. Camouflage: this also relates to the feathers and plumage. Because owls are more likely to be sleeping in broad daylight, they are more vulnerable to other diurnal, carnivorous predators. Due to this vulnerability, they have a greater need to blend into their surroundings and have developed amazing camouflage. If you have ever gone looking for owls you will know that they are often very hard to spot for this reason.

This Long-Eared Owl camouflages incredibly with its surroundings 

5. The Feet: Hawks have three talons in the front and one in the rear while owls have this option or two in the front and two in the rear. Again because owls work in dark conditions, this aids them in having better grip.  Further, owls usually crush their prey on the ground, trying to remain silent and undetected. Hawks have less crushing force but are more likely to grab prey quickly and fly off with it.

Owls are quite spooky! They live and breathe darkness and are specialized in silence and camouflage, striking when their chances of success will be highest. Hawks too are magnificent hunters, but because owls take the night shift, they are incredibly adapted to do so.

Whether it be day shift or night shift, raptors are incredible and mesmerizing predators that definitely have extremely specialized anatomy and skillsets for their roles. Understanding them more can help deepen our appreciation of these impressive species!



Warmly, 


Heather