Question

Which statement concerning the hearing of owls is NOT TRUE:

Select one:
a. owls can find prey at night by hearing alone
b. the feathers on an the owl's face help it hear better
c. an owl's ear openings are not symmetrically placed on the sides of the head
d. an owl's head is wide to allow for horizontal separation of sound arriving at the ears
e. an owl's raptorial bill is large to help deflect sound to the facial disks

Answer 1

The untrue statement about owl hearing is that their raptorial bill is large to help deflect sound to the facial disks; it is actually adapted for gripping prey, while feathers on their face help with hearing.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement concerning the hearing of owls that is NOT TRUE is: 'an owl's raptorial bill is large to help deflect sound to the facial disks'. While owls do have many adaptations for hunting, such as excellent hearing and the ability to hunt by hearing alone, their bill size is not adapted for this purpose. Instead, it is their feathers on the face, known as facial disks, that help funnel sound to the ears, and the asymmetrical placement of their ears assists in locating prey more effectively by allowing for sound localization. The width of an owl's head does indeed allow for better horizontal separation of sounds, aiding in pinpointing the location of prey. However, the raptorial bill is designed for gripping and tearing prey, not for influencing hearing.