Penguin Awareness Day Jan. 20, 2026

Penguins thrive in some of Earth"s coldest waters. Today"s image shows a gentoo penguin beneath a vault of shimmering blue ice, its sharp silhouette etched against the frozen world around it. Penguin Awareness Day, observed on January 20, shines a spotlight on the birds that bring life, noise and personality to Earth"s iciest coastlines.

© Paul Souders/DanitaDelimont.com/Alamy

palette

Today in History

Come on, guys, this way!
Jan. 20, 2024Macaroni penguins, Drake Passage, Chile

More Desktop Wallpapers:

A view that’s out of this world
Oct. 17, 2023Vieste, Apulia, Italy
Trusty water-shifters
Sep. 8, 2023International Literacy Day
Spanning the soft sunlight
Nov. 16, 2025A traboule in Lyon, France
Oct. 28, 2024Pumpkin field, Victoria, British Columbia
Jan. 12, 2024Bukhansan National Park, South Korea
May 20, 2025World Bee Day
The envy of postcards and snow globes
Today, a nation was born
May 9, 2025Canadian Tulip Festival
An underwater paradise to explore
Jan. 23, 2026Þorrablót, Icelandic midwinter festival
King of the ocean
Jan. 18, 2026White Sands National Park, New Mexico, United States
Back to the future
May 25, 2025Butchart Gardens in Brentwood Bay, British Columbia
A triumphant pose
Dec. 7, 2025A pine forest in Alsace, France
May 7, 2025Dunluce Castle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Apr. 7, 2024International Beaver Day
Zion National Park turns 103
Bryce Canyon hoodoos in winter
Jan. 8, 2026Starling murmuration over the ruins of Brightons West Pier, England
Aug. 18, 2025Avalanche Lake Trail at Adirondack High Peaks, New York, United States
The sea pool of Penzance
Dec. 22, 2024Christmas tree at Crystal Pier, San Diego, California, United States
Apr. 16, 2025Anniversary of Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah, United States
When landscape met wilderness