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A close view of an owl looking right at the camera, with its wings and feathers puffed up

Binnur Ege Gürün Koçak / Anadolu / GettyAn owl is pictured at the Ankara University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Wild Animals Unit in Ankara, Turkey, on February 27, 2025. Thirty wild birds are being treated and rehabilitated by veterinarians and student volunteers at the facility.

A snowy owl glides over a snow-covered field.

Chi Shiyong / VCG / GettyA snowy owl glides over the snow-blanketed grasslands at Hadatu Ranch on a cold day in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, China, on December 22, 2025.

A close view of the face of an owl

Renhue / GettyA close view of the face of a buffy fish owl

A barn owl sits in a barn window with broken panes.

Christian Kosanetzky / ImageBroker / GettyA barn owl sits in an old barn window in East Westphalia, Germany.

Two young owls peer curiously from a hole in a wall.

C. Kosanetzky / ImageBroker / GettyTwo young owls peer curiously from a hole in a wall in Lower Saxony, Germany.

A crow harasses an owl, flying at it with talons out.

Alper Tuydes / Anadolu / GettyA crow harasses an owl in a rural area of Van, Turkey, on December 23, 2025.

A close view of the eye of an eagle owl

Tahreer Photography / GettyA close view an eagle owl’s eye

A small owl perches on beach sand, in front of iconic peaks in Rio de Janeiro.

Bob Karp / ZUMA Press Wire / ReutersA burrowing owl perches on the sands of Ipanema Beach in front of Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Two Brothers Mountain, an uncommon but not unheard-of sight along the city’s coast, on July 4, 2025.

An owl soars past a tree covered in Spanish moss.

Harry Collins / GettyA barred owl soars past a tree covered in Spanish moss.

A close view of the face of a snowy owl, looking down toward the camera

Slavek Ruta / ZUMA Press Wire / ReutersA snowy owl, raised by a falconer as part of a captive-breeding program, is pictured in its enclosure in Vysočina, Czech Republic, on October 22, 2025.

An owl nests in a hollow in a tall cactus.

Christopher Hall / GettyA great horned owl nests in the hollow of a tall saguaro cactus.

A close view of the talons of a large owl

Science Photo Library / ReutersA close view of the talons of a Eurasian eagle owl

A small owl, perched beside a man.

Yasser Al-Zayyat / AFP / GettyAn Eurasian eagle owl looks on during a scientific exhibition at Kuwait University’s College of Science in Kuwait City on November 24, 2025.

An owl sits inside a tree hollow, its feathers blending in with the rough bark of the tree.

Volodymyr Kucherenko / GettyA Eurasian scops owl sits in a deep tree hollow and blends into its surroundings.

An owl perches on a cable while clutching a rodent.

Christopher Drost / Shift Digital / ZUMA Press Wire / ReutersA northern hawk owl perches while clutching a rodent near Innisfil, Ontario, Canada, on March 17, 2025. Commonly found in northern boreal forests, this non-migratory bird delighted wildlife photographers and nature enthusiasts with its rare appearance less than an hour north of Toronto.

An owl tucks its wings as it soars past evergreen trees.

Scott Suriano / GettyA boreal owl tucks its wings as it soars past evergreen trees in Minnesota.

A small owl perches on a bare tree in a wintry landscape.

Ondrej Prosicky / GettyAn austral pygmy owl perches on a tree in Torres del Paine, Chile.

An owl perches on the gloved arm of a snowman.

Bernd Wüstneck / DPA / GettyA bearded owl named Emilia settles on a snowman that keepers made for the birds in a bird park in Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, Germany, on January 9, 2026.

Three fuzzy owl chicks sit hidden near a tree.