animals at night chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Flying at Night

In the day, owls stay in trees or buildings, but at night they hunt for food. Owls can see very well in the dark, and they also have an amazing sense of hearing. They listen for little noises from their prey — rabbits, mice, and other small animals that they like to eat. Then they fly down and catch them in their sharp claws.

Many owls have soft feathers on their wings, so they can fly very quietly. Their prey don’t know that they are coming!

Most types of bat are nocturnal. At night they look for fruit and flowers, or they hunt for insects, fish, and mice. Bats can see and smell very well, and many bats have a special sense called echolocation. This helps them to find food in the dark. Bats make special noises when they fly. The noises bounce off things and come back as echoes. These echoes tell bats where things are and how big they are.

In the day, bats hang upside down and stay in caves, trees, and buildings.

Bats are the only mammals that can fly!

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