Scottish Blackface sheep, Aberdeenshire, Scotland Feb 5, 2025

Scottish Blackface sheep, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Being the "black sheep" isn"t always a bad thing—just ask the Scottish Blackface, seen here in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. With its striking dark features and a knack for thriving in places others wouldn"t, this British breed has turned the idiom on its head. Far from an outcast, it"s the backbone of Scotland"s rural life and a true champion of the hills and moors. Interestingly, the Blackface sheep didn"t originate in Scotland but south of the Anglo-Scottish border. The breed"s history is fascinating, and varieties such as the large-framed Perth and the medium-framed Lanark types are found across the United Kingdom. Though it"s the most common breed in the region, the Blackface sheep has spread across the world. Its coarse fleece is perfect for making durable products like carpets and tweeds—definitely not your average sweater material.

© Mike Powles/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Feb 5, 2024Monarch butterflies
Feb 5, 2026Salt evaporation ponds on the island of Gozo, Malta

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jan 27, 2025Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, United States
Mar 21, 2026Letea Forest, Danube Delta, Romania
Nov 28, 2024Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, Canada
Oct 5, 2024Tsavo East National Park, Kenya
Jul 11, 2025Tokyo at sunrise, Japan
May 17, 2025A delta in the Venetian Lagoon, Italy
Sept 16, 2026Polar bear cubs playing in Svalbard, Norway
Aug 22, 2024Ocean City, Maryland, USA
Dec 30, 2023Daiichi Tadami River Bridge, Fukushima, Japan
July 9, 2026Rice fields at Sapa, Lào Cai, Vietnam
Oct 30, 2025Camels, Rajasthan, India
Sept 4, 2026Westerheversand Lighthouse, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
May 22, 2024Tasmanian snow gum, Mount Field National Park, Tasmania, Australia
Nov 26, 2023Fallow deer in Bradgate Park, England
Dec 23, 2023Chinstrap penguins
Apr 23, 2026Common chiffchaff, Germany
May 27, 2024Baia del Silenzio in Sestri Levante, Italy
Apr 25, 2025Magellanic penguins, Volunteer Point, Falkland Islands
Sep 2, 2025Camel thorn trees, Namib-Naukluft Park, Namibia
Jun 13, 2025Vila Franca Islet, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal
May 31, 2026Everglades National Park, Florida, United States
July 28, 2026A kelp forest, Channel Islands National Park, California, USA
Sep 12, 2024Dolphin pod near Réunion island
Nov 18, 2025Male hooded merganser
Apr 11, 2026Papagayo Beach, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain
Jun 22, 2024Amazon rainforest, Brazil
Sep 6, 2024Glenariff Forest Park, Northern Ireland, UK
Jan 22, 2025Ad-Deir, Petra, Jordan
Jun 3, 2025Bicycles on a bridge in Utrecht, Netherlands
Jun 19, 2025Beach in Santa Catarina, Brazil