Being Human
Related Articles
A comparison between the eagle vision vs human will help us understand why they are the apex predators. Eagles are among the most formidable predatory animals on the planet. Their feathers are exquisite, and their wingspan is enormous. How far, however, can an eagle see?
Birds of prey possess excellent vision in general, but eagles are exceptional. They are eight times more sensitive to details than humans and can detect objects nearly two miles distant.
Eagle’s keen vision is essential to their survival in the wild. Do eagles have limitations on their vision? Continue reading to learn more.
The Eagle Eye Explained
Although the eagle has better vision than humans, they share some characteristics. Both possess the pupil and iris and numerous other fundamental eye characteristics.
Nonetheless, numerous characteristics of the eagle are exclusive to raptors. The fact that its eyes are situated on the periphery of its cranium provides it with a 340-degree field of vision.
They possess extensive eyeballs occupying fifty percent of their heads. Our eyes have only two foveas, whereas an eagle’s eye has four. Additionally, unlike humans, eagles have two eyelids rather than just one in each eye.
This secondary eyelid prevents debris, including dust and grime, from entering the eye. Eagles also possess a substance known as pectin.
Pectin provides nourishment to the retina. Additionally, their vision is entirely enhanced with a 20/5. That is, an object is visible to an eagle from a distance of twenty feet, what we would see at five feet.
In addition, they are sensitive to UV radiation. This aids their hunting by enabling them to detect and trace animal excrement. In contrast to lenses, their cornea is flexible and can be moved to focus light.
The Human Eye Explained
Each individual possesses two eyeballs. They occupy 5% of the head’s surface and are in front of the forehead. A cone-rich area in each eye, the fovea, enables us to perceive colors and fine details.
None of us have the extraordinary ability to see beyond the periphery. Our eyes can look from side to side due to this ability. They are located anterior to the skull, restricting them to 180-degree side vision.
The eagle possesses significantly larger irises than humans, a disparity that may appear insignificant at first glance. Their eyes are way better than ours in every way.
How Good is the Eagle Vision
If we had an eagle’s vision, we would see ants on the ground standing from a skyscraper, ten-storied. We wouldn’t have to fight for the best seats at the stadium while enjoying a football game.
In fact, even from the stands, we could tell the players’ facial reactions. Everything in your immediate vicinity would appear more prominent, and the color and tonal spectrum would be heightened.
The Eagle Eye Compare To The Human Eye
Due to the significant optical advantage possessed by eagles over human beings, our understanding of their environment is merely speculative.
Eagles, like humans, have cameras-like irises. The retina contains cones and a lens that detects light and color.
The fovea is a distinct region located in the retina’s central portion that is densely packed with cones. While it appears as though it is a deep, convex pit in an eagle, it resembles a narrow basin in a human.
With this much profundity, the eyes of eagles might be capable of capturing images comparable to those of telephoto lenses.
A minimum of 200,000 cones are present in each fovea of an individual. Eagles have two foveae in each eye, with one million cones densely crammed into each fovea.
Comparable to a contemporary computer monitor, the pixel arrangement of an eagle’s eye ensures that each image is crystal clear and distinct.
They use their center fovea to obtain a closer view. Their lateral fovea is primarily utilized for distant vision. Here are other notable differences;
a. Focus
The eye’s lens must rapidly change to maintain distinct vision at all distances and nearby. The term for this procedure is adaptation. The muscles that assist in altering the lens’s shape become less effective and stiffer with age.
In contrast, eagles possess an eye that can alter shape to focus more precisely on distant and nearby objects.
b. Color Sharpness
Eagles possess a much higher color perception than humans. Even ultraviolet light is visible to them, and they can distinguish between various tones of the same color.
Eagles can perceive the ultraviolet spectrum of urine emitted by their prey, including rodents and other small animals, from altitudes of several hundred feet.
c. Eye Positioning
Since both eyes are situated in front of our skulls, we have good vision with one eye but poor vision with the other. Both eyeballs are required to perceive a complete three-dimensional image.
The pupils of an eagle are situated laterally to the skull. They have close-set eyes on the sides compared to other avian species. Their eyes remain in place through apertures angled at a 30-degree angle from the facial center.
Eagles have a field of vision of 340 degrees, whereas humans have a field of vision of 180 degrees. Additionally, similar to humans, they can perceive three dimensions simultaneously with both eyes.
Placing the eyes in front of the skull provides binocular vision and a 180-degree field of view around the body.
One can only see the details when one eye is closed; by closing that eye, a portion of the information that could be perceived with that eye is obscured.
Utilizing both eyes permits us to perceive the depth of field and calculate the velocity of an object. Unfortunately, our peripheral vision is relatively poor.
| Human Eye | Eagle Eye |
| Peripheral vision 180° | Peripheral vision 340° |
| 2 foveas in total | 4 foveas in total |
| Eyes take 5% of head | Eyes take 50% of head |
| Average 20/20 vision | Average 20/5 vision |
| No ability to see UV light | Ability to see UV light |
| Cornea and lens cannot move to focus on closer and far things | Cornea and lens moves to focus on closer and far things |
Can Eagles See Well in The Dark?
Eagles are incapable of having sufficient vision at night. Compared to nocturnal animals, their night vision is relatively poor. This indicates that eagles are most active during the day, a phenomenon known as diurnality.
Numerous nighttime-active animals and birds have larger irises with more rods. Conversely, eagles and other diurnal-active avian species possess a greater quantity of cones as opposed to rods.
Moreover, they have small pupils. Their daytime vision is considerably superior since they have significantly more cone cells than humans.
They can also perceive a broader spectrum of electromagnetic light, including red light. Numerous small animals, including rodents, urinate to indicate their habitat.
Because of this, eagles can detect significant movement in their prey during the night when the moon is full by utilizing ultraviolet light. These abilities enable them to partake in hunting activities even in low light.
Why Bald Eagles Are Apex Predators
A bald eagle’s head is exquisitely decorated with white plumage. The yellow snout protrudes from this object. They are enveloped in dark brown feathers on the underside and the top.
A bald eagle predominates the sky. They are so formidable that they are not even required to forage. Instead, they frequently take other birds’ food or rummage through the remains of animals.
Bald eagles do not descend into the water when hunting like falcons do. Conversely, they traverse it leisurely while capturing fish just beneath the surface.
Although their pupils are roughly the same size as ours, their vision distance is four to seven times that of humans. They must rotate their entire skull to move their eye, as it remains stationary.
Due to their exceptional foraging prowess, these avian species construct their nests atop the tallest branches of trees. The structures are typically two to four feet deep and four to five feet wide. They are built from sticks and contain bushes and greenery within.
Frequently, bald eagle females lay two eggs concurrently. If both eggs hatch, the more significant, sturdier eaglet will kill the weaker one with its pecks or force it from the nest.
Bald eagles are predatory birds. Although they will consume any moving animal, fish is their preference.
Additionally, they will consume many mammals, birds, and animals, including deer fawns. They consume deceased animals if they are in the vicinity.
Based on their habitat, bald eagles are the apex predators. They occupy the highest position in the food chain as they have no natural predators.
Conclusion
We don’t stand a chance when we compare the eagle vision vs human. They have way better vision than us.
Eagle Vision would maintain most of our daily activities, such as locating milk in a crowded refrigerator or perusing newspapers or computer screens. However, it would alter our vision and use of our eyes. A possible analogy for our newly acquired abilities is how raptors employ theirs, which is for hunting.
To truly perceive the world from an eagle’s perspective, imaginative effort is required. Their impressive vision is attributed thanks to their anatomical structure and the proportion of their eye to the cranium area.
On the other hand, we humans lack equivalent visual acuity in terms of brightness, color, and sharpness.
