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
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Spring comes to the Diablo foothills
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The ‘Night of Nights’
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San Blas Islands, Panama
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Oymyakon, Russia
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Enter the magical world of Livraria Lello
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Brown-throated three-toed sloth in cecropia tree, Costa Rica
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The dancing trees of Sumba Island
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A path to access
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Celebrating 30 years of eye-opening images
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Old Town in Prague, Czech Republic
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Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
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Brown bears, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska
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An impactful day
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Burchells zebras for International Zebra Day
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A tree of many memories
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Did they forget to fly south?
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Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica
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International Surfing Day
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Barn owl, England
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Room at the top?
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Chapel on the rock
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Protect your neck
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International Tiger Day
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In the footsteps of Leopold Bloom
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Blink and you ll miss it
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Lighting the way to new beginnings
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Don t go chasing waterfalls
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Maybe we should be looking up
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International Day for Biological Diversity
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Happy holidays!