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Owls turn their heads (Buffy fish owl & brown hawk owl)

on 29th November 2021

Owls have the reputation of being able to turn their heads towards their backs to view objects behind them. This ability is at times exaggerated or misrepresented as the ability to twist 360°. The pictures and video below show that owls can turn their heads 180° on the right or left side, thus giving them 360° views.

Photo 1 by Soh Kam Yung. Pasir Ris Park. 20 November 2021. Buffy fish owl (Ketupa ketupu) frontal view.  https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/101523951      
Photo 2 by Soh Kam Yung. Pasir Ris Park. 20 November 2021. Buffy fish owl turns heads towards back to look at photographer. – https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/101523953

Video by Francis Seow-Choen. Thomson Nature Park. 8 October 2021. The brown hawk-owl a.k.a. brown boobook, Ninox scutulata, turned its head to look at the videographer and to look behind it.

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

LW Teo

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