How Owls Turn Their Heads Around

Owls have some extremely flexible necks, able to rotate 270 degrees in both directions without injury. Let's learn how that is possible! Please subscribe to continue learning what makes life AWESOME: BioBush.tv/sub...
It's amazing to see an owl rotate its head. They can be looking right at you, then turn their heads 180 degrees and look behind themselves a second later. That's not even the limit of their neck flexibility. They could go an extra quarter turn further, looking to the side the long way around.
We learn about owls' huge, unmovable eyes, which give them incredible eyesight in the dark. These eyes have a cost - the owl can't move its eyes, and must instead turn its entire head.
Owl heads can turn almost all the way around (three-quarter turn) in both directions, as well as 180 degrees up and down. So owls have a number of adaptations in their necks to safely turn over these extreme angles.
Extra neck joints, a specialized connection between spine and skull, plus specially shaped neck bones and clever adaptations in their blood vessels. There are diagrams in the video that explain it all.
It's a delight to discover the mysteries hidden in nature. Something as simple as an owl looking around can lead us down a path of discovering how animals (and ourselves) are built to succeed in their environments!
The custom link for this video is biobush.tv/owls
Copyright:
Video "Juvenile Long-eared Owl - Magnuson Park, Seattle, WA - July 2012" by Tom Talbott ( • Juvenile Long-eared Ow... ). Used under Creative Commons cc-by 2.0.
Video "Meet the Locals: Ruru" by Department of Conservation ( • Meet the Locals: Ruru ). Used under Creative Commons cc-by 2.0.
Video "Strix Varia: Male Barred owl hooting - close" by caroltlw ( • Strix Varia: Male Barr... ). Used under Creative Commons cc-by 2.0.
Video "Barred Owl Looking Around" by My Wildlife Life ( • Barred owl looking around ). Used under Creative Commons cc-by 2.0.
Photos "Cervical Vertebrae of the American Barn Owl", "Reconstruction of the neck from micro-CT scans", and "The cervical column in natural posture" from Krings, Markus & Nyakatura, John & Fischer, Martin & Wagner, Hermann. (2014). The Cervical Spine of the American Barn Owl (Tyto furcata pratincola): I. Anatomy of the Vertebrae and Regionalization in Their S-Shaped Arrangement. PloS one. 9. e91653. 10.1371/journal.pone.0091653. Used under Creative Commons cc-by 4.0.
Photo "Great Horned Owl Skeleton" by ellenm1, via Wikimedia Commons (commons.wikime.... Used under Creative Commons cc-by 2.0.
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Thanks for watching! You're awesome!

[@KoawNature]

Fascinating about those pivot joints. The chair analogy works great for explaining that. Nice work!

[@BioBush]

Thank you Koaw! I was working on this analogy for a long time using ice skates (1 foot vs 2) but spinning office chairs made the limits of motion more obvious. The random solutions that come out of creative work are fun to observe. I'm glad you learned something interesting. Thanks for watching!

[@peterkay7458]

@@BioBush chair thing was very cool. Which felt safer for you. .?

[@BioBush]

@@peterkay7458 Haha, the risks we take for science. Fortunately, we have skeletons much more resilient to fall damage than owls do. (Though I guess owls could just fly to the ground.) They both worked out okay! Thanks for watching!

[@HawkinaBox]

I love the visuals you used rather than just explaining it through words.

[@BioBush]

Thank you, Pygmy Puff! Coming up with analogies and models is a big part of every video. But the work is worth it to help motivated learners like yourself. Thank you for watching!

[@Ecotasia]

I love the demonstrations, though you need to be careful standing on office chairs. I have always heard about the extra neck vertebrae, I actually learned a lot about the different physiological adaptations

[@BioBush]

Thank you for your kind words, John! I also learned a lot in making this video. Also left with amazement that owls can live, and that humans can live. The human altantoaxial joint does NOT look like something that should be doing what it does. And owls' even more so. Anyway, we're all alive and it's a mundane miracle. Thanks for taking the time to learn about a relatively obscure but fascinating topic!

[@burntzapato8446]

This guy literally risked his own neck to show us an example of how an owl can turn their head. Wish my teachers were as committed as him.

[@BioBush]

It's a privilege to dig up this information and share it with people like you. I would do it again. Thanks for watching!

[@santonen359]

Love how you compare human anatomy with the owl’s anatomy

[@BioBush]

Hi Al! Glad you find that helpful. It helps me too, to learn about something new with the context of something familiar. I'm actually working on a video right now about how birdsong works compared to human speech. There is still so much out there to learn. Thank you for watching!

[@krasawka42]

Fascinating! I would never have thought that owl skeletons look like this. And I find it amazing how the holes in the vertebrae evolved to be bigger to allow owls to better turn their heads. If it was me constructing an owl, and not mother nature, I'm not sure I would have thought of that. :) Nature is brilliant!

[@BioBush]

I'm glad you learned so much, krasaw! I did too. There is brilliance in animal physiology. It's our opportunity to figure out why. Thanks for watching again!

[@hanoshah6009]

I am leering to

[@CaptHC]

And who created this mother nature if I may ask?

[@mystiqmind5961]

Great video! This helped me explain how owls can turn their heads around but my 5 yr old cant. Thanks!

[@BioBush]

Hi MystiqMind! I'm glad this video was helpful. And yes, humans should not attempt 270 degree head turns. We have mirrors and periscopes and cameras to overcome our head-turning limits. But that is a great question to ask that shows a lot of imagination. Thank you for watching!

[@ShelbyOnSafari]

Loved that you used the balloon to showcase the rotation! So interesting about the size of the arteries! Another great video 😊💚

[@BioBush]

Thank you, Shelby! This one made me wonder how owls live, and also how humans live. The atlantoaxial joint in both species does not look robust enough to support the skull's rotation. And that's just one miracle among many that we rely on to stay alive. I'm glad you learned something new, too! Thanks for watching!

[@Souron-y2v]

Very detailed and simplistic explanation on owls with some personal risks :) . Owls are beautiful, majestic and cute.

[@BioBush]

Hi Manju! Thank you for the kind words. There is so much to appreciate about owls, and birds in general. Thank you for watching!

[@gratefulpianist8640]

Sadly there isn’t adaptations for contortionists and pianists even we are already kind of good when we train ourselves... Never mind, this video is as always informative and awesome!

[@BioBush]

You're right, with the exception of some genetically lucky/unlucky people all humans are working with the same body template. And no matter how hard you train you won't develop extra finger joints or fingers. But it may be a source of comfort that we all have the same body template because that means you can do anything! As a human you are (eventually) qualified to do anything humans can do. You can swim fast and be good at archery and do tricks on a snowboard. Not all at the same time, for practical and logistical reasons. Never mind, thank you for watching and learning, Grateful Pianist!

[@saadmanomar7754]

Thank you for this video. It helped me understand better.

[@BioBush]

Hi Saadman! I'm glad you found this helpful. There are so many interesting things to learn about birds. Thanks for watching!

[@MrZackavelli]

Great chair analogy.

[@BioBush]

Thank you, Matches! I'm glad you found that helpful. There are so many interesting things to learn about birds. Thanks for watching!

[@AsheMouch]

I randomly came across this video, but holy crap your channel is absolutely top tier!

[@BioBush]

Thank you for the super kind comment, Ashe! There are so many interesting things to learn about birds. I'm glad you are enjoying these videos!

[@givnikR]

Great video, I loved the chair illustration, that made it simple to understand. Thanks again :)

[@BioBush]

Thank you, Rachael! I was working on that illustration for a long time using ice skates and it wasn't working. Then I realized I was sitting in a spinning chair and it took about 5 minutes to write. I'm glad the insight was helpful to you. Thank you for taking the time to learn about birds!

[@givnikR]

@@BioBush great job!

[@garethalford682]

Ro Ro Rotate Your Owl For Science! 🦉👨🏻‍🔬

[@Jedi_Luke]

You literally made the only video on KZbin explaining an Owl. Well done, sir.

[@BioBush]

Happy to help, Luke! I also had this question and had to make something once I found the answer. If you have any other bird questions I can add them to the list of future ideas. There is still so much out there to learn. Thanks for watching!

[@parapaya3261]

after watching how this magnificient creature is designed is there any more concrete evidence of a CREATOR rather than evolution/all happened by accident?.. DEAR oh dear.

[@BioBush]

That's a great point! The more I learn about nature, the more regularly I feel that natural systems should be impossible. A feather only seems normal because we are used to it, but feathers do things that should not exist in the real world. I think that sense of wonder is a good reason to learn about Life. Thanks for watching!

[@harshitbhagchandani]

Do owls have hearts? How does it look like? How does it works with the oxygenated and De-oxygenated blood? And is it between lungs ? The have rib cage? Can you make a video for all body parts of a owl? And one more do you know how seahorse sounds like ? Google do even know that. Try saying 'how does a seahorse sounds' to Google assistant and it will say I don't know and I am working on it.

[@BioBush]

Hi Harshit! I'm glad you're excited about animals, hopefully I can help. Yes, owls have hearts. They are four-chambered hearts just like ours, with a larger left side and complete separation between oxygenated and de-oxygenated blood. Bird lungs are super weird, but yes, the heart is in the middle right behind their keel. An avian anatomy video would be interesting. And, having taken care of seahorses in the past, they do not make any vocalization. The only sounds they might make would be from moving, and they would be reeeeeeally quiet. Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm, and for watching as well!

[@z-vi1523]

Wow how amazing evolution made that beautiful bird with fascinating adapting mechanisms by "random" mutations happened at once perfectly together...perfect circulatory system came out random mutation along with functioning heart..functioning lung for gas exchange and functioning bone marrow to create blood that carry oxygen to other functioning organs all came at once by chance

[@BioBush]

Hi Z-Vi! I totally agree that life is unbelievably complex, and we will never have a complete explanation for how things came to be. Isn't it so cool that we live in a world where unexplained mysteries are all around us to discover? Thanks for watching!

[@shutthedoor2052]

evolution is fascinating. because they can't move their eyes, they can move their necks!

[@BioBush]

That's a great point, Shut the Door! Evolution doesn't care HOW the result is achieved, just that it produces results. Leads to fascinating solutions like this one. Thanks for watching!

[@isengarde9490]

Can't help but wonder how their throats don't close from the awkward angle. Or just how they don't tear open all together.

[@BioBush]

Hi Isen Garde! I didn't investigate that, but I would guess that there is just enough extra tissue that they can usually keep breathing, and their throat probably does pinch closed at the most extreme angles. As to why nothing ruptures/tears, all I can say is they clearly CAN do it, and our privilege is to notice and investigate this natural wonder! Thanks for watching!

[@herb-n-buckethomestead5874]

Thank you great information for homeschooling.

[@BioBush]

Hello Herb-N-Bucket Homestead! I'm glad you found educational value in this. There are so many interesting things to learn about birds. Thanks for watching!

[@taunusspatz]

Fantastic video - thanks for collecting all this information here. What a great source of bird knowledge :-))

[@BioBush]

That is such a kind comment, Thomas! I appreciate your support. Thanks for your support on this journey!

[@joshuaday9069]

This all seems too well purposely designed to be natural, absolutely wild

[@BioBush]

I feel the same way often, Joshua. There are so many things which are all around us, but upon closer examination seem too strange to be real. It's an amazing world we live in, with miracles to discover all around. Thank you for watching!

[@mayramxonqoraboyeva3276]

600 like Thank you for your information

[@BioBush]

I'm glad you found it helpful, Mayramxon! There are so many interesting things to learn about birds. Thanks for watching!

[@pr7716]

Thank you for the explanation 🥺❤️

[@BioBush]

You're welcome, Poonam! There are so many interesting things to learn about birds. Thank you for watching!

[@Punkini]

Great video! Super informative, quick to the point. And presents somewhat complicated information in a very easy way to understand!

[@BioBush]

Thanks for the kind words, Alexa! I'm glad you found this video helpful in learning about the topic. Thanks for taking the time to learn about birds!

[@tiffanylaws]

That was a great analogy! Loved this video! Although I’m still extremely freaked out by owls I find them so fascinating.

[@JooEhabStudio]

thanks for this wonderful explanation. I've been looking for a while and I'm glad I found your video.❤❤

[@James-fb1rv]

Thank you for making this! You've satisfied my curiosity 😊

[@BioBush]

Thank you James! That's pretty much the highest compliment for an educational video. I'm glad you found value in this. There are so many interesting things to learn about birds!

[@ARandomGuyOG]

Nice Explanation. Thank You.

[@crystalheart9]

Really interesting and lots of great information.

[@BioBush]

Thank you, crystalheart! There are so many interesting things to learn about birds. Thank you for watching!

[@crystalheart9]

@@BioBush You are welcome. I have subscribed. 🦉❤

[@andylizabeth]

My daughter asked this question, her guess was extra bones! Such an amazing and interesting video, I loved the chair analogy! Thank you!

[@BioBush]

That was an excellent hypothesis! Thanks for encouraging her to predict the answer and then check if her guess is right - the world needs more people with those skills. I appreciate you watching!

[@karstdeviz3858]

interesting video

[@BioBush]

Thank you for the kind words! There are so many interesting things to learn about birds. Thank you for watching!

[@prabhakarv4193]

Very nice and informative. Thank you for your efforts.

[@DanielHertzberg-fo6gh]

You had me rotating my head like one of those rotating fans.

[@_nitin_69]

I love owls

[@BioBush]

I hope this was helpful, then. There are so many interesting things to learn about birds. Thanks for watching!

[@xaby996]

Really cool

[@BioBush]

I'm glad you liked it, Xaby! There are so many interesting things to learn about birds. Thanks for watching!

[@waynepayne9875]

Cool

[@BioBush]

Thank you Wayne! There are so many interesting things to learn about birds. Thank you for watching!

[@DoukTube]

Thanks for sharing the knowledge in a very pedagogical way.

[@BioBush]

Hi Douktube! Thanks for the kind words. It's a privilege to dig up this information for people who want to learn. Thanks for watching!

[@Catler-fd1cm]

fascinating good job on your work

[@Realismisonlyhalfofwhatitis]

There just built different

[@pbice]

很詳細的解說，謝謝！ Very detailed explanation, thank you!

[@BioBush]

不客气! I'm glad this was helpful to you. There is so much out there to learn about birds. Thank you for watching!

[@Punkini]

I feel like if this guy was an animal he’d be an owl haha

[@BioBush]

I couldn't eat like an owl, but having incredibly good hearing and eyesight sounds good. 540 degrees of neck rotation might be helpful (not sure how, but it seems cool). Silent movement = cool. Not being able to swim = boo. Thanks for watching!

[@nilaypatel849]

Nice explanation ❤

[@manguss212]

Great video!

[@BioBush]

Thank you, Magnuss! There are so many interesting things to learn about birds. Thank you for watching!

[@anastasiabogdan-popa4485]

Nooooice

[@BioBush]

Thank you, Anastasia! There are so many interesting things to learn about birds. Thank you for watching!

[@bootsmade4walking]

So interesting! Thank you!

[@BioBush]

You're welcome, Boots! There are so many interesting things to learn about birds. Thanks for watching!

[@SJ-en9mu]

thanks

[@bears5272]

Do A vid on eagles eye please

[@BioBush]

Thanks for your suggestion, Nilu! I have an older video on bird eyes - BioBush.tv/birdeyes It talks about the unique structures in bird eyes and briefly talks about the incredible vision of hawks. Let me know if you want to know more. Thanks for watching!

[@oogalaboogala8408]

I came to America 5 years ago and before then had never heard of an owl till one night I heard a whole bunch of them whoing at each other and I thought it was monkeys then I’d seen one and it did the head thing and I called police because I was scared

[@BioBush]

That's quite a story, Elargo! There is so much to learn about birds. Thanks for watching!