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I sometimes forget how very different birds’ anatomy is from our own. Birds possess some remarkable adaptations that they have evolved over more than 150 million years, adaptations that make them uniquely capable of coping with their environments.
This little Burrowing Owl is showing off one of those adaptations. It has rotated its head nearly 180 degrees to get a good look at me without turning its body.
How is this possible? The owl has more than double the vertebrae in its neck than we have, giving it remarkable flexibility. We humans can rotate our heads a paltry 90 degrees in each direction. This owl can easily turn its head more than double that amount.
Birds are a testament to how evolution has led different orders of life down different pathways.
Image made with a Canon R5, Canon EF 400mm f4 DO II lens+Canon EF 1.4x telextender, M setting (auto ISO), ISO 1250, f5.6 @ 1/4000.
Sonoran Images 