If you've never heard the sound of an owl in flight, you're not alone. Her wings are almost silent during her flightand this very fact came to the attention of the researchers.
A research team is studying what makes owl flights so quiet and hoping to apply the "technology" to create quiet aircraft, wind turbines and submarines.
In accordance with Mashable, owl feathers have three of course characteristics which make them silent. First, there is a comb of stiff feathers along the leading edge of the wing. Second, the trailing edge of the wing has a flexible margin with soft feathers. A stiff back on the wings of other birds creates quite a bit of noise in flight. And thirdly, a material on top of the wing acts like a soft carpet. When the air passes over the plush upper side of the wing, the noise disappears.
The scientists after their observations are in phase search application of these features in technology.
"If this owl-noise mechanism works, it can have far-reaching effects on the vibrations in aircraft and wind turbines," said Justin Jaworski, an assistant professor at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.
The team presented her findings on Sunday in Physical Society's Division of Fluid Dynamics.
