The term “eagle eye” is often used to describe someone with great vision, but did you know why? Out of all the animals in the world, eagles have the best eyesight. In fact, their eyes are so strong they can see UV light that humans can’t see!
Because they have a more robust ability to see colors, they can detect even small changes in the coloration of their prey. Eagles have outstanding daytime vision, but they aren’t able to see as well at night. Let’s take a closer look at how eagles see, and how their eyesight compares to other animals.
How Do Eagles See?
The eyes of an eagle are positioned more to the sides of the head than those of a vulture. Their eyes, though not as lateral as other birds’ eyes, are nonetheless fixed and unmoving in their sockets, at a 30-degree angle from the face’s midline. Eagles have a 340-degree visual field compared to humans who have a 180-degree field.
For some context, an eagle has 20/5 visual acuity, which means that it can see from 20 feet what a human with normal vision would need to be 5 feet away from in order to see. According to this measure, an eagle’s visual perception is 4 times better than ours.
How Big Are Eagles’ Eyes?
The eyes of eagles are similar in size to human eyes, but the back side shape of an eagle eye is flatter than that of a person. By weight, their eyes take up more space than their brain.
The depth of an eagle’s eyes allows them to function much like a telephoto lens that takes photographs. The eagle’s eye might be likened to a contemporary computer display, with densely packed pixels providing exceptional clarity and sharpness to each picture.
Final Thoughts
Eagles have the best vision in the animal kingdom. Their eyes provide them with a great field of view. Eagles also have very good color vision, which helps them to spot their prey. So, the next time you hear someone say they have “eagle eyes,” you’ll know it’s because they have great vision!
