With big head, large round orange or yellow eyes, both facing forward and staring out of saucer-shaped disks of radiating feathers, Mr. Owl looks so wise. No wonder he is called the wise old owl. Part of the impression of wisdom comes from the big eyes that stare with such a steady and unwavering gaze. That unwavering gaze, however, is not due to any deep meditative powers​—his eyes are set in sockets that prevent their rolling or swiveling about. Even so, from ancient times the owl was credited with wisdom​—it was the sacred bird of Pallas Athene, the Greek goddess of wisdom.

Many think that owls cannot see very well in daylight. They also think that owls can see fine in the dark. But they are wrong on both counts. Owls have very good eyesight. During the day their vision is excellent. At night they also do very well. The nocturnal owls​—and most are—​have retinas superabundantly packed with rods to enable them to see in the dimmest of light. In such surroundings their eyes gather in the faint light a hundred times better than ours do. But in total darkness, they might as well be blind. One researcher scattered dead mice on the floor in a totally dark room and put owls in it. Those owls did not find a single mouse.