If you've ever tried to catch a bird by putting salt on its tail, you already know it can't be done. But do you know why?

 Birds can see behind themselves! And no, they don't have eyes in the backs of their heads. It's the unique way birds' eyes work that let them see what's on the side, in front of them and behind them, all at the same time. Birds have a very large "field of vision," which means they can see a great many things at once. One bird called the American Woodcock has such big eyes that what one eye sees actually overlaps the other.

 Compare a bird's eye to your own. First, take a small mirror and look at your eye. Is it curved, like an orange, or flat like the top of a table?

 If you said curved, you're right. But a bird's eye is flat and that helps the bird keep more things in focus at one time. Another way a bird's eye is different is that it doesn't move in its socket like yours. The socket is the "pocket" in which your eye rests. Look at your eye in the mirror, then move your eye around. A bird can't do that. Instead of moving his eye, the bird moves his neck in order to see something. This is called "bobbing." Scientists believe that the bobbing some birds do helps them see the same object many times over. That way the bird can decide whether what it's seeing is something it wants to eat – or something that wants to eat it! 

 Many birds, like the owl, have very big eyes. In fact, owls have eyes  as big as a human's, but their heads are much smaller. Owls can turn their heads completely around to the back. And, since they hunt in the dark, owls have eyes that allow them to process more light at night. Because of this they see better in the dark than in the light.

 Hawks and other birds of prey, or birds that hunt other small creatures like mice, squirrels and birds, have eyes designed to help them hunt. Because they have sharp peripheral (sideways) vision, they see better when  they dive. And by dropping very fast in a spiral or circle, they keep their eyes on dinner. These birds actually see better when diving than when perched.

 While owls and other birds that eat at night (known as "nocturnal") can see more vividly in the dark, day-feeding birds can see colors better. In fact, a hummingbird has such sharp vision that it can see a red flower from half a mile away!

 Whether a bird feeds at night or during the day or is a bird of prey, all our feathery friends have excellent eyesight. Would you like to see how things look to a bird from the sky? Check out this great site:

Surface Navigator

http://home.fujifilm.com/efa/mg/indexIE.html

Photo Index

http://home.fujifilm.com/efa/pi/indexIE.html

If you like to color, here's a neat bird picture you can color one of two ways. You don't need crayons to color the first one. All you do is click on the shade you like, then on the part of the bird you want to color. The second link takes you to the same pictures, which you can print and color later with your own crayons.

Happy flying!

First picture: (color now)

http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/jvbirddesign.htm

Second picture: (color later)

http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/colbirddesign.htm

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