Mary Hood, age 11, of Charlotte, N.C.,for her question:

WHERE DO BIRDS GO AT NIGHT?

In the bird world there are daytime doers and daytime dozers. Most species are active during the daylight hours, when they come forth to feed and frolic. Other species spend the day dozing in hideaways, such as leafy boughs and hollow tree trunks. Day or night, all birds need a sleep period, just as we do.

If you live in a neighborhood with trees, you canwatch where and when your local birds go to bed. The time to watch is during a dusky evening, just as the sun retires for the night. Often a flock of one species shares the same tree.

You can watch them fly home to roost, where they perch on the twigs among the shadowy boughs. Meantime, the day dozing owl wakes up and goes hunting under the starry sky.