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I was wondering how owls turn their necks all the way around?

Taylor, 10

Owls can’t really turn their necks completely around, but it does look that way. Extra vertebrae, or bones, in the owl’s back allow them to turn their necks 270 degrees in both directions so they overlap a complete circle, which is 360 degrees.

Humans can turn their necks less than 90 degrees in both directions. To see for yourself, raise your arms to shoulder height and extend them straight out from your sides. Turn your head as far right as you can. Then rotate your head as far left as you can. From shoulder to shoulder is 180 degrees. Since your chin didn’t go past your shoulder on either side, you can only turn your neck less than 90 degrees to each side.

Even though you can’t move your neck as far as an owl, your eyes can move sideways. This allows you to see more things to the side without moving your neck as much.

Owls’ eyes, however, are fixed in the socket and do not move up or down or side to side. They have to turn their head directly toward what they want to see. When they quickly rotate their necks in one direction and then another, it may look like they are spinning their head around.

What is the difference between a boy and girl blue jay? And what do blue jays do in winter?

Daniel, 9

Blue jays are the noisy blue-colored birds with the black bands and a crest on their heads and stripes on their backs and tails. They like to chase other birds away from backyard feeders, especially when the feeders are filled with black-oil sunflower seeds. Blue jays remain in Missouri year-round. In the winter they look for acorns and seeds to eat.

With some birds, it is easy to tell the difference between a male and female bird. For example, the male cardinal is more brightly colored than the female. Not so with the blue jay. Both male and female are the same color and act alike most of the time. The female lays eggs in the nest, of course, but both parents incubate the eggs and bring the young birds food.