Owl turns head upside down

Certain species of birds can do incredible things and it seems owls are no different.

A photographer in the US has managed to catch one of the animals turning its head upside down.

Rather than it being a scene from The Exorcist, it is actually because the owl has fixed eyes and so moves its neck in order to get a better look when it sees danger.

Obviously the camera scared the one-year-old, as his reaction was to try to find out more about the lens and it makes for quite a picture.

Henrik Nilsson, who took the snap, said: "I had used my car as a hide and the owls could only see the movement of my lens. After a while, I would be ignored and the birds carried on."

It's amazing how some animals can react to the circumstances they find themselves in and produce extraordinary feats of dexterity.

Posted by Mark Wilkins