A special Sunday event: our fifth annual photographic essay celebrating these magnificent birds of prey. These nocturnal hunters hail from Europe, Asia, North America, and South America, and are captured here in photos from recent years. If you have some time today before the big game (or are skipping the event entirely), I invite you to take a look; as always, it was a hoot to put this together.
Superb Owl Sunday V
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![A close view of the face of a snowy owl]()
Read moreA close view of the face of a snowy owl #
Leamus / iStockphoto / Getty -
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![A young horned owl perches on a finger.]()
Read moreA young horned owl perches on a finger. #
Siharat Sangkomol / iStockphoto / Getty -
![A large owl flies just above snow-covered ground.]()
Read moreA long-eared owl flies in a forest after a snowfall in Daqing, Heilongjiang province, China, on January 4, 2021. #
Liu Guoxing / VCG via Getty -
![A young owl perches on a pole in front of a low sun.]()
Read moreA young owl perches over a traffic signal in Gevas district in Turkey's Van province on June 12, 2020. #
Ozkan Bilgin / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
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![A close view of an owl looking to the right.]()
Read moreA profile of an owl, photographed in Halifax, England #
Adam Webb / EyeEm / Getty -
![A small owl stands at the entrance of a hole in the ground.]()
Read moreA burrowing owl stands at the entrance to its home. #
AGD Beukhof / iStockphoto / Getty -
![A white owl flies over snowy ground.]()
Read moreA snowy owl takes flight in Columbus, Ohio, over an open field. #
Styxclick / iStockphoto / Getty -
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![The head of an owl pokes out of a hole in a tree trunk, looking down.]()
Read moreA screech owl peers down at the photographer. #
Dennis Stogsdill / iStockphoto / Getty -
![A large owl looks off to the right.]()
Read moreA portrait of a great gray owl #
Simon George / iStockphoto / Getty -
![A young owl hangs from a branch.]()
Read moreA young Eurasian scops owl hangs from a branch. #
Sonnyrollins / Imazins / Getty -
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![A small owl peers out of a hole in a brick wall.]()
Read moreA spotted owlet takes a rest in a hole in a wall in Kathmandu on May 10, 2020. #
Prakash Mathema / AFP / Getty -
![A person holding a clipboard in one hand also holds a large owl perched on her other hand.]()
Read moreA zookeeper poses with Max the Eurasian eagle owl during a photo-call to publicize the annual stocktaking at the London Zoo in London, England, on February 7, 2018. #
Matt Dunham / AP -
![A small white owl with black eyes faces the camera.]()
Read moreA close view of a juvenile spot-bellied eagle owl #
Thanit Weerawan / Getty -
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![An owl perched in a tree looks toward the camera.]()
Read moreA long-eared owl is seen in a tree in Beyobasi village in Ankara's Sincan district, Turkey, on December 14, 2020. #
Emin Sansar / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
![A young owl with closed eyes perches beside others.]()
Read moreA young owl with closed eyes perches beside others. #
Bicho_raro / iStockphoto / Getty -
![A close view of an owl's face, with big eyes and wet feathers.]()
Read moreA Sumatran owl is seen in Palembang City in South Sumatra, Indonesia, on March 5, 2020. #
Sigit Prasetya / Opn Images / Barcroft Media / Getty -
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![An owl perches on a mossy log.]()
Read moreAn owl perches on a mossy log. #
Jaroslav Sugarek / iStockphoto / Getty -
![Two small owls perch on a fence post amid brush and cactus.]()
Read moreBurrowing owls perch on a fence post in Las Pailas, Cachi, Argentina. #
Jeremy Woodhouse / Getty -
![An owl perches on a man's shoulder.]()
Read moreA man holds his barn owl after it was blessed by a priest during San Anton Abad's Day (Saint Anthony, patron saint of animals) in Madrid on January 17, 2020. #
Javier Soriano / AFP / Getty -
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![A large owl spreads its wings in flight.]()
Read moreA great gray owl, in flight #
Pchoui / iStockphoto / Getty -
![A white owl walks on the roof of a house.]()
Read moreA snowy owl walks along a rooftop in a residential neighborhood, where it had been seen for more than a week, on November 20, 2020, in Seattle, Washington. #
Elaine Thompson / AP -
![A man holds an owl near a large glass window that holds water on the other side. Several penguins are swimming in the water.]()
Read moreBuddy the pharaoh eagle owl is brought to see the Humboldt penguins with keeper Evan Lawrence at the Woodland Park Zoo. The zoo was closed to visitors during the coronavirus outbreak in Seattle, Washington, on March 24, 2020. #
Lindsey Wasson / Reuters -
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![Two small owls look at the camera.]()
Read moreSmall owls have a look at the photographer. #
Pedro_Turrini / iStockphoto / Getty -
![An owl sits on a tree branch.]()
Read moreA view of a Ural owl perched in a tree in Estonia #
ErikKarits / iStockphoto / Getty -
![A snowy owl rests in a field.]()
Read moreA snowy owl rests in a field. #
Bubo scandiacus / Chimperil59 / iStockphoto / Getty -
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![A large owl looks toward the camera.]()
Read moreA great horned owl #
Imran Ashraf / Shutterstock -
![An owl flies low over a flowering field.]()
Read moreA barn owl in flight #
Klaus Brauner / iStockphoto / Getty -
![A small owl is visible in the dark.]()
Read moreA northern white-faced owl, seen at night #
Yuga Kurita / Getty -
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