Talons: An Owl’s Hungry Grasp

While the auditory and visual capabilities of the owl allow it to locate and pursue its prey, the feet and beak of the owl do the final work. An owl kills its prey by using its feet to crush the skull and knead the body. A Barn Owl’s feet are tipped with razor sharp claws called talons that not only keep the prey from escaping, but will kill smaller prey and help the owl hold onto larger prey. The crushing power of an owl’s talons varies according to prey size and type, and by the size of the owl. By comparison, the small, partly insectivorous Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) has a grasp suited for catching insects and smaller prey while the larger Barn Owl (Tyto alba) has a greater force to grab its prey. One of the largest owls, the Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus), needs nearly 5X the talon strength to keep its significantly larger prey in its talons. An owl’s claws are sharp and curved. The family Tytonidae have inner and central toes of about equal length, while the family Strigidae have an inner toe that is distinctly shorter than the central one. These different characteristics allow efficiency in capturing prey specific to the different environments they inhabit.

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