This is Bird Note. Throughout most of the Americas, great horned owls are the preeminent predatory bird of the night,

and they are ferocious. Their prowesses hunters depends on acute senses and stealth, but their feet and long

curved talons secure the attack. The outermost of their four toes has evolved to rotate forward or

backward for handling squirming prey, an advantage that most other birds of prey lack. These feet let the owls capture

mammals as large as hares and raccoons. The grip strength in those feet, 200 to 500 pounds per

square inch, is equal to that of a much larger bald eagle and up to six times stronger than the handshake of a bodybuilder.

Talk about a death grip.

And these owls definitely don't skip leg day.

With strong, thick legs, great horned owls are power lifters. A four-pound owl can take

flight with up to six pounds of prey. Their preferred hunting tactic is to perch in a tree on the

edge of an open field, listen closely, then drop, flap, and glide silently toward an unwary animal.

And from there, those amazing feet take over.

For Bird Note, I'm Mary McCann.