Owls as Predators

One of the most notable features of owls is that their eyes face forward. As a result, about 70 degrees of the total 110 degree visual field is binocular. Owls can see images in three dimensions allowing them to judge distances better than most birds and in a way that is similar to humans.

Owls have a highly evolved area of their brain called the Visual Wulst dedicated to processing binocular vision. This area is analogous to the pulvinar nucleus that processes visual information in humans and some other primates. The presence and size of the Visual Wulst is directly related to the degree of binocular vision in birds. Birds with limited degrees of binocular vision, such as egrets and woodcocks, have a smaller Visual Wulst than owls.