No, those aren’t really horns on the great horned owl, shown here blending in nicely with its surroundings in central Florida. The distinctive tufts of feathers on top of its head are known as ‘plumicorns.’ They have nothing to do with hearing—instead, they’re thought to be used to show expression and for camouflage. Feel free to impress your friends with this bit of trivia during the Great Backyard Bird Count, a four-day event in February that invites participants to help monitor bird populations.
Great horned owl near Lake Tohopekaliga, Florida
Today in History
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The desert blooms
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Taughannock Falls State Park
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Mandarin duck, Richmond Park, London, England
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Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
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50 years of Earth Day
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Diwali
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Heavens Gate Cave, Tianmen Mountain National Park, China
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Salt of the earth
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The birthplace of Cinco de Mayo
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Groundhog Day
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State funeral of Queen Elizabeth II
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Corfe gets creepy
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Panda Day
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Happy Fathers Day!
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Museum Night in Berlin
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New Orleans for Mardi Gras
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Find a Rainbow Day
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Hyalite Creek at Custer Gallatin National Forest, Montana
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Looking back on 150 years of rail travel
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Celebrating Panama s independence
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Mountains fit for a queen
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A field of English lavender
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Memorial Day
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Celebrating Chile’s Independence Day
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Milky Way over Zabriskie Point, California
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Big-wave hunters watch Nazaré
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From pirate port to nature preserve
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Whales in winter
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Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
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It s World Poetry Day