Christi Breimon, age 11, of Duluth, Minn., for her question:

 CAN BIRDS HEAR?

 Birds have the same sense that we humans do. Their sight and hearing are acute. They are quickly aware of the slightest movement around them.

 Birds do not have outer ears, as do men and some other mammals. But they do have eardrums, middle ears and inner ears.  Birds can tell colors apart but their senses of smell and taste are not well developed.

As birds fly, they can focus their eyes quickly by means of muscles chat change the shape of the lenses of their eyes. The eyes of most birds are on the sides of their heads. Only owls and a few other birds can look straight ahead as people do. Some birds need only one hundredth as much light as humans need to see. Owls, for example, use remarkable sensitive hearing and vision to catch mice in darkness.