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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World Elephant Day
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Happy Thanksgiving
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The snows of Fuji
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Moai statues on Easter Island, Chile
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The view will stop you in your tracks
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A city, a cliff, a canyon…and cheese
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Trevi in bloom
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Happy birthday, Capitol Reef National Park
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The old guard at Old San Juan
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International Day of Mangrove Conservation
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Presidents hear the echo of history
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Happy Bee Day to you
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National Park Service anniversary
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Celebrating Native American Heritage Month
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Women s History Month
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Take a break! It s Labor Day!
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Giving Tuesday
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Speed skaters in the Gangneung Oval, Pyeongchang, South Korea
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You ve never seen anything like this
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Let the harvest begin
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White dunes, blue lagoons
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Let s crack the code
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Everest s shadow on the Himalayas
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National Take a Hike Day
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Cranborne Chase, England
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Kings of the Kalahari
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Pretty, pretty…butterfly?
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Happy Mother’s Day
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Penguin Awareness Day
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Cherry blossoms spring to life