Storyclover
Storyclover
At moonrise, a small tawny owl with a round cream-speckled face, large golden eyes, a short curved gray beak, mottled brown-and-cream feathers, and soft fringed wing feathers perched above the grass. The owl wanted to find dinner without making a sound.
Why Do Owls Fly So Quietly at Night?Owls have soft, fringed feathers that break up air flow, helping them fly with very little sound.
1. At moonrise, a small tawny owl with a round cream-speckled face, large golden eyes, a short curved gray beak, mottled brown-and-cream feathers, and soft fringed wing feathers perched above the grass. The owl wanted to find dinner without making a sound.
2. A gray mouse twitched its whiskers. “Why do you fly so quietly?” it asked. The owl blinked. “I do not know,” it said. “Let us listen for the answer.”
3. The owl opened its wings beside the pond. The mouse listened. There was no swish, no flap, and no whoosh. Only a frog croaked, and a reed tickled the water.
4. “Perhaps it is the moonlight,” said the mouse. The owl tried flying under the pine trees. The moonlight stayed behind, but the quiet followed.
5. “Perhaps the stars are whispering over you,” said the mouse. The owl flew beneath the bright stars. The stars shone, but they made no sound at all.
6. The mouse touched the edge of a wing with one whisker. “Your feathers feel softer than moss,” it said. The owl looked closely. Tiny fringes lined each feather.
7. The owl tried again. Its soft fringes broke the air into tiny little streams instead of one loud rush. The mouse heard the grass, the crickets, and its own tiny sneeze.
8. Now the owl understood. Owls have soft, fringed feathers that break up air flow, helping them fly with very little sound. The mouse smiled. The owl smiled too, and the night stayed quiet.
Make a story like this →
