On full moon nights, the white barn owls’ color does not put them at a disadvantage while hunting—quite the opposite. Voles, the primary prey of this nocturnal bird of prey, are wary of light and light colors. A study shows that while brown owls startle voles, white owls, on the other hand, freeze the rodents in place to capture them.
Details from Alexandre Roulin, a researcher in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Lausanne, interviewed by Huma Khamis.