Up until that moment, he'd needed to control every bodily movement with total precision.

But isn't this ontological distinction between bodily movement and language precisely what the kinesic theory and its analogues in cognitive linguistics were supposed to have called in question?

Some would prefer to define actions as requiring bodily movement (see behaviorism).

This ability keeps bodily movement at a minimum and thus reduces the amount of sound the owl makes as it waits for its prey.

Unsuccessfully trying to do something might also not be considered an action for similar reasons (for e.g. lack of bodily movement).