Spotted owlet, Bangkok, Thailand Aug 8, 2024

Spotted owlet, Bangkok, Thailand

Think you can win a staring contest with one of these? With piercing yellow eyes against a grey-brown face, spotted owlets are often seen when small birds spot them during the day and mob them. Once located, these primarily nocturnal owls will often stare down at intruders, bob their heads and emit a loud "chirurrr-chirurrr-chirurrr" screech, or what"s sometimes described as laughter or chuckling.

© Tfilm/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Aug 8, 2025The Three Musketeers Falls at Iguazú Falls, Argentina
Aug 8, 2026Ah Shi Sle Pah Wilderness, New Mexico, USA

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Apr 25, 2025Magellanic penguins, Volunteer Point, Falkland Islands
Nov 29, 2023Schwerin Castle on Lake Schwerin, Germany
Feb 23, 2026Great white egret, Upper Bavaria, Germany
May 25, 2025Butchart Gardens in Brentwood Bay, British Columbia, Canada
Aug 8, 2025The Three Musketeers Falls at Iguazú Falls, Argentina
Aug 14, 2024Thorny devil, Australia
Oct 9, 2025Pillars of Creation
Apr 9, 2024Tulip fields in spring, Skagit Valley, Washington, USA
Sept 21, 2026Sea otter grooming fur, Monterey Bay, California, United States
Nov 8, 2025Bandon Beach in Bandon, Oregon, United States
Feb 21, 2024Horsetail Fall, Yosemite National Park, California, USA
Mar 2, 2024Modica, Sicily, Italy
Feb 25, 2024Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, Canada
July 1, 2026Dungeon Provincial Park, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Sep 8, 2023The Circus, Bath, Somerset, England
Nov 25, 2024Maasai giraffes
Jan 28, 2024Channel Country, Australia
Jul 16, 2025Temple of Philae, Aswan, Egypt
Aug 12, 2026A group of elephants, Amboseli National Park, Kenya
Mar 2, 2026Harbour and longtail boats at Ko Samui, Thailand
Oct 24, 2024Bodie State Historic Park, California, United States
Sep 20, 2025Swing carousel at Oktoberfest, Munich, Bavaria, Germany
May 20, 2026Bumble bee pollinating, Worcester, England
June 3, 2026Bardenas Reales Natural Park and Biosphere Reserve, Navarra, Spain
Mar 22, 2025Cenote Nicte-Ha, Tulum, Mexico
Feb 1, 2025Königstein Fortress, Saxon Switzerland, Germany
May 14, 2024Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico, USA
Feb 28, 2024Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland, England
Aug 2, 2026Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland
Mar 21, 2025Danum Valley, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia