If you've never heard the sound of an owl flying, you're not alone. The birds' wings are nearly noiseless in flight, and now, they've caught the attention of researchers.
A research group is studying what makes owls' flights so silent, and hopes to apply that "technology" to create quieter aircraft, wind turbines and submarines.
Owl wings have three physical features that make them noiseless, the team explains. First, there's a comb of stiff feathers along the front edge of the wing. Second, the wing's back edge has a flexible fringe of soft feathers; stiff back edges on other birds' wings lead to a lot of in-flight noise. And third, a downy material on the top of the wing acts like a soft carpet; when wind passes over the wing's velvety top-side, noise is cancelled.
Scientists are now looking for ways that these feathery features can be applied to man-made technology.
"If the noise-reduction mechanism of the owl down can be established, there may be far-reaching implications to ... vibrations for aircraft and wind turbines," Justin Jaworski, assistant professor at Pennsylvania's Lehigh University, said in a statement.
The team presented their findings at the American Physical Society's Division of Fluid Dynamics meeting on Sunday.
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