Can owls turn their heads all the way around?
No, owls cannot turn their heads all the way around, but they can rotate them about 270 degrees, three-quarters of a full circle, without harming themselves.
Owls need flexible necks because their eyes are fixed in place and cannot move like ours. To look around, they must turn their whole head. An owl has 14 neck vertebrae, twice as many as humans, which gives its neck great flexibility.
A 2013 study at Johns Hopkins University explained how owls avoid damaging their blood vessels. The holes in their neck bones that hold arteries are much larger than the arteries, leaving extra space so the vessels do not get pinched. They also have blood reservoirs that keep blood flowing to the brain and eyes during extreme turns.
Why it looks like a full turn
An owl can turn its head 135 degrees in each direction. If it turns one way and then the other quickly, it can look as if the head has spun all the way around. Owls can also tilt their heads almost upside down.
Did You Know?
A human who twisted their neck as fast and far as an owl could risk damaging the arteries that carry blood to the brain.