Why Do Owls Hunt at Night?
A short information text about owls, with eight questions on finding facts, word meanings and explaining why.
Read the passage
Night hunters
Most owls hunt in the dark. They sleep for much of the day, often hidden in a tree or a barn, and wake up when the sun goes down. Animals that are awake at night are called nocturnal.
Big eyes
An owl has very large eyes, which let in as much light as possible. This helps it to see in the dark. But an owl cannot move its eyes in their sockets. Instead, it turns its whole head. An owl can turn its head about three-quarters of the way round to look behind it!
Sharp ears
Owls also have amazing hearing. Their ears are hidden under the feathers on the sides of their heads. An owl can hear a tiny mouse rustling in the grass from far away.
Silent wings
Most birds make a flapping noise when they fly, but owls fly almost silently. Their wing feathers are soft and have fringed edges, so the air slips past quietly. A mouse cannot hear the owl coming.
Answer the questions
- What word means “awake at night”? (1 mark)
- Why does an owl have very large eyes? (1 mark)
- Where are an owl’s ears? (1 mark)
- Find and copy one word from the “Sharp ears” section that means “wonderful”. (1 mark)
- Why does an owl turn its whole head to look around? (1 mark)
- How do soft feathers help an owl to hunt? (2 marks)
- Why do you think owls sleep in hidden places during the day? (2 marks)
- Write one sentence to explain how an owl’s body helps it to hunt in the dark. (2 marks)
Answer key for parents and teachers
1. nocturnal (1 mark)
Finding information (2b). A key word is stated and explained in the text, so the child practises finding it.
2. To let in as much light as possible, so it can see in the dark. (1 mark)
Finding information (2b). A reason to find in the “Big eyes” section.
3. Hidden under the feathers on the sides of its head. (1 mark)
Finding information (2b). Finding a detail in the right section.
4. amazing (1 mark)
Word meaning (2a). Matching a word to its meaning, using the section heading to find the right place.
5. Because it cannot move its eyes in their sockets. (1 mark)
Explaining from the text. The child links a fact to the reason for it.
6. They let the owl fly almost silently, so a mouse cannot hear it coming. (2 marks)
Explaining from the text. Two facts from the same section have to be joined into one explanation.
7. To stay safe and rest without being seen or disturbed (any sensible reason). (2 marks)
Inference (2d). The text says where owls sleep but not why, so the child has to work it out.
8. One mark for naming a feature (big eyes, sharp hearing or silent wings) and one for saying how it helps, for example: “An owl has big eyes that let in lots of light, so it can see in the dark.” (2 marks)
Summarising (2c). Pulling the main idea out of several paragraphs into one clear sentence.
What this practises
Finding information (2b), Word meaning (2a), Explaining from the text, Inference (2d), Summarising (2c). The codes in brackets are the reading content domains from the national curriculum test framework. Marks and answers are a guide: accept any sensible answer that is backed up by the text.
Now try the writing task
Imagine you are an owl at night. Write five sentences about what you see, hear and do.
Aim for five to eight sentences. Read it back aloud together and fix anything that does not sound right.
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More Year 3 worksheets
Free to print and copy for your own family or classroom. Please do not sell or republish. The passage and questions were written for LiteracyLab AI.