What is the main idea of the passage?

Specialized feather edges, soft surfaces, and broad wings reduce flight noise so many owls can listen while approaching prey. (The passage connects several wing features with reduced turbulence, slow flight, listening, and tradeoffs.)

Why is quiet flight useful to a hunting owl?

It keeps the owl's own wing noise from masking faint prey sounds. (The opening frames quietness as protection for the owl's listening during flight.)

What does “turbulence” mean here?

irregular swirling movement in the air (Feather structures break and soften disturbed airflow, reducing its noisy irregular motion.)

Where is the flexible fringe located?

along the trailing edge of a feather (The second paragraph directly locates the fringe on the feather's trailing edge.)

The Owl's Quiet Wing: Level 1 Reading Comprehension Questions

An owl flying at night must listen while it moves. Loud wing noise could hide the rustle of prey. Several feather features help many owls reduce that sound.

Comb-like structures along the front edge of some flight feathers break moving air into smaller flows. Soft, downy surfaces and a flexible fringe along the trailing edge also reduce noisy turbulence. Broad wings let an owl fly slowly while staying aloft.

Silent flight is not absolute, and owl species differ. The same features can trade some high-speed efficiency for quiet movement. For an owl hunting by sound, hearing during approach can matter more than racing through open air.

The wing does not erase air. It manages the small disturbances that air makes as feathers move through it.

Comprehension questions