Phone Wallpaper - Bing Wallpaper Gallery

Apr 8, 2021I m here! Take a look at me!

Spring is lekking season for the black grouse. In the early morning, the male birds, like this fancy fella in Finland, gather on lek sites, often a patch of open ground, to put on a show for the ladies in the audience. The guys flash their white tail feathers, utter cooing and hissing noises, flutter-jump, and pick fights with each other—all to demonstrate their dominance to the watching hens. (Hens are smaller and have gray-brown feathers.) When a hen picks out the male she likes, the two fly off to mate and then go their separate ways. Love connections are brief in the black grouse world.Desktop Version

Jun 5, 2018Up, up, and away for Hot Air Balloon Day

Really, there’s only one way to celebrate Hot Air Balloon Day properly. But if you can’t catch a ride in a basket under a giant balloon today, know that the idea dates back at least to 3rd-century China, where paper lanterns were used as military signals. Fast forward to 18th-century France, where two paper-making brothers, the Montgolfiers, launched unmanned hot air balloons. Then, to great fanfare, they tried sending up a sheep, duck, and chicken, and finally, Étienne Montgolfier took a ride. Designs have improved since then, resulting in the standard hot air balloon seen here.Desktop Version

Dec 16, 2019Cape Town at dusk

It"s a beautiful evening here in Cape Town, South Africa. From this vantage point we have a striking view of Table Mountain, with its "tablecloth," or cloud cover that typically shrouds the local landmark. Cape Town is a popular tourist destination noted for its beaches, natural beauty, architecture, and multicultural diversity—and in that diversity, it"s a showcase for the South Africa that Archbishop Desmond Tutu calls the "rainbow nation."Desktop Version

Sep 5, 2020Beaver achievers

Don"t get distracted by the awesome top half of today"s photo. The postcard appeal of Idaho"s Sawtooth Range is undeniable, but our focus today is on the humble structure at the bottom.Desktop Version

May 29, 2018The first ascent

Greetings from base camp at Mount Everest, the highest peak on Earth. For most of us, pictures are as close as we’ll get to this iconic destination, which was first summited on this day in 1953. Mountaineers Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the historic first ascent and achieved instant fame. The two spent 15 minutes on the summit, with Norgay leaving an offering of sweets.Desktop Version

Apr 25, 2021One giant leap for penguins

These Adélie penguins are jumping for joy because it"s World Penguin Day. Or maybe they"re just looking for a snack as they dive off this iceberg. Native to the land and surrounding waters of Antarctica, Adélie penguins migrate to their coastal breeding grounds in late October or November. They can dive as deep as 575 feet, and swim as far as 185 miles round trip to find krill, fish, and squid.Desktop Version

Mar 15, 2021Every day is Napping Day for this screech owl

We can think of no better way to celebrate National Napping Day than with this furry fellow, a screech owl asleep in a tree trunk in the Massapequa Preserve on Long Island, New York. Found in wilderness areas and near human settlements from the Atlantic Seaboard to West Texas and up into Montana, Eastern screech owls like this one are well established in the US. They"re nocturnal creatures, so they sleep during the day and become active after dusk. But don"t worry about you or your pet getting attacked by these owls. While it"s not apparent from this picture, screech owls are tiny–smaller than a pint glass–and prefer to feast on insects, worms, and small rodents.Desktop Version

Jun 16, 2019Happy Father s Day

These lions in southern Africa’s Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park probably aren"t heading out for Father"s Day brunch. Cubs are usually protected by their mothers, while their fathers merely tolerate them in most cases. While stereotypes might suggest that the same holds true for humans, a Pew Research study showed that dads are just as likely as moms to say that parenting is extremely important to their identity, and dads are much more involved in child care than they were years ago. It took dads a while to earn this day. Father"s Day was first celebrated in 1910 in Washington state. While it gained popularity over the years, it didn"t become a national holiday until President Richard Nixon signed a proclamation in 1972. Mother"s Day got a proclamation in 1914, but let"s not get competitive here—today"s about dad.Desktop Version

Mar 24, 2018Crimson-rumped toucanet in the Refugio Paz de Las Aves, Ecuador

A small patch of red quills in its tail feathers earned this smaller cousin of the toucan its common name. That ‘crimson rump’ provides striking contrast to the deep green, gold, and blue feathers on the rest of the toucanet’s body. Our specimen was photographed in the Refugio Paz de Las Aves (Peace of the Birds Sanctuary), a private nature reserve nestled in the foothills of the Ecuadorian Andes near the equator. Visitors there can spot many neotropical bird species, including antpittas, hummingbirds, and tanagers.Desktop Version

Oct 7, 2021Great on so many levels

Water flows evenly over seven distinct tiers of packed earth at Huay Mae Khamin Waterfall, a remote gem four hours northwest of Bangkok. Part of Khuean Srinagarindra National Park, the waterfall features a trail network leading up to each terrace, offering visitors a close-up look at every level of the picturesque cascade.Desktop Version

Jan 15, 2020Harvest season begins

Today we"re in Kathmandu, Nepal, where the Boudhanath stupa stands out against the skyline. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the stupa is on the ancient trade route from Tibet—traders have rested and offered prayers here for centuries. Like all stupas, Boudhanath is a mound-like structure containing relics. It was first built sometime after the 600s, when Buddhism was first spreading through Tibet and Nepal. It"s long been a major pilgrimage site for Buddhists, and is said to entomb the remains of Kassapa Buddha, one of the 29 named ancient Buddhas.Desktop Version

Jul 23, 2019A state-of-the-art lookout on the Rock of Gibraltar

Make your way up the trails of this monolithic rock promontory to the Skywalk, an 8,000-square-foot glass platform that soars more than 1,100 feet above sea level. On a clear day, you can see three countries and two continents from here. These epic views draw tourists, as does the Rock’s legendary history. A British Overseas Territory since 1713, Gibraltar has long been a strategically important military outpost located near the southern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Far below the Skywalk, visitors can take in military relics that date back to the first years of British rule here.Desktop Version

Oct 7, 2020The circular castle of Cornwall

Many generations watched fog roll over this countryside long before the bellicose Norman visitors who built this fortress got the chance. The peninsula of Cornwall has been populated since the Mesolithic period 10,000 years ago, and is one of the traditional Celtic nations—areas of the British Isles and France where the Celts" culture survived Roman, Norman, and other outside influences despite repeated attempts at incursion.Desktop Version

Apr 25, 2020Rockin with the rockhoppers

For World Penguin Day, we"re featuring a jaunty group of southern rockhopper penguins on a Falkland Islands beach. Most penguins slide over ice on their bellies, but these small penguins opt for more aerobic locomotion—they hop. Of all penguin species, rockhoppers are among the most numerous. But pollution, overfishing, and climate change have taken a toll: Their population has declined by about 30% over the last 30 years. Today, there"s an estimated 1.5 million breeding pairs of rockhoppers. About 1 million of those are southern rockhopper couples, like these, with the northern and eastern subspecies accounting for the rest.Desktop Version

May 31, 2020Welcome to the pack

This fuzzy pup is a young gray wolf, the largest member of the dog family (Canidae). Gray wolf pups are born between March and May, blind and deaf, but after about three weeks they"re ready to leave the den and begin exploring their surroundings for the first time. It doesn"t take long–around six months–before they"ve grown enough to join their pack on hunts.Desktop Version

Jan 15, 2021It s truffle season here in the Dordogne Valley

Perched high above the Dordogne River in France, the Château de Beynac is one of the best-preserved castles of the Périgord Noir region. This 12th-century fortress has been meticulously restored, showcasing for tourists such delights as a dungeon, 13th-century toilets, and magnificent views of the "Valley of the Five Castles" below.Desktop Version

Dec 8, 2020A fortress in the sky

Beginning as a lone watchtower high in the Apennines of Italy in the 10th century, the fortress called Rocca Calascio gained more heft over the next few hundred years. A quartet of additional towers and heavy walls were gradually added around the first tower. These fortifications made clear that Rocca Calascio was ready for any military rivals who might scale the slopes from the valley below to attack this garrison. The fight never came. The ruins you see here are not battle scars but the result of a powerful earthquake. By the early 1700s, Rocca Calascio was abandoned, but it can still claim the title of highest fortress in the Apennines—and some of the most spectacular views in all of Italy. In fact, filmmakers have chosen the site for several movies, including "The Name of the Rose" and "Ladyhawke."Desktop Version

Dec 6, 2018The owl that loved football

As the name indicates, you’ll find the Eurasian eagle-owl across Asia and Europe. The eagle-owl in our photo today lives near Helsinki, Finland. Why an eagle-owl on Finnish Independence Day today? When Finland’s national team was playing a qualifying match against Belgium in 2007, an eagle-owl flew onto the pitch, delaying the game for several minutes. Ever since, the Finnish team has been nicknamed ‘Huuhkajat’—the eagle-owls. The owl, called ‘Bubi,’ was later named Citizen of the Year in Finland.Desktop Version

Mar 27, 2018Macro photograph of a migrant hawker dragonfly

Adult migrant hawkers like this one are usually found near water, where they’ll look for a mate and find plenty of mosquitos and midges to eat. This photo was taken using macro photography techniques—the camera’s macro lenses get clear images of small subjects like insects and flowers.Desktop Version

Dec 1, 2018A treaty for science

Twelve nations signed the Antarctic Treaty System on December 1, 1959, establishing the ice-covered continent as a place for scientific study open to all nations and banning any military activity there. Since then, additional countries joined in the treaty—now 53 nations participate in activities at the various research stations there. Our photo shows the northernmost part of Antarctica, the Antarctic Peninsula, south of Chile and Argentina.Desktop Version

May 8, 2021World Migratory Bird Day

For World Migratory Bird Day, we"re looking at a flock of black-tailed godwits in the Netherlands. These shorebirds breed in parts of Europe and Russia, and then migrate to areas in Western Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. A large percentage of the godwit population breeds in the Netherlands, which is why the country voted to make it the national bird in 2015. It"s also captured in paintings by Dutch artists Vermeer and Rembrandt, making the black-tailed godwit as "Dutch as they come," according to the Dutch newspaper Trouw.Desktop Version

Jul 10, 2021Celestial Spain

Today we"re in the Extremadura region of western Spain, in the beautiful Monfragüe National Park near the border with Portugal. This 18-mile long, 4-mile wide stretch of nature in the province of Cáceres is framed by the Tagus and Tietar Rivers (it"s the Tagus that"s in our image today). The mountainous Peña Falcon rock face defines its western side. Much of the park is covered by a thick Mediterranean forest full of wildlife, making this place a destination for outdoor lovers of all sorts. It"s especially notable for the many birds: Over 280 species are found here, including storks, kingfishers, cormorants, and eagles, as well as one of the world"s largest reserves of black vultures and their tawny vulture cousins. Other wildlife routinely spotted in Monfragüe include otters, deer, wild boar, and Iberian lynx.Desktop Version

Mar 5, 2020The desert blooms

It"s getting to be wildflower season in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. That means it won"t be long before we see blooms from the big daddy of the cactus world—the saguaro. Our homepage pic shows just a glimpse of this amazing succulent. The saguaro is the largest of them all, with some of the oldest specimens reaching more than 50 feet tall. It can hold huge amounts of water—after plentiful rains when it"s fully hydrated, a saguaro can weigh between 3,200 and 4,800 pounds. In the right conditions, it will live more than 100 years, growing arms as it ages, creating that classic cactus profile that"s associated with the desert and Old West.Desktop Version

May 12, 2019The parenting of a piping plover

To celebrate Mother’s Day this year, we’re on Jones Beach Island in New York, where piping plovers are helping their newly hatched chicks prepare to leave the nest—just hours after they hatch. While mom and dad were sitting on the unhatched eggs, if a predator, such as a fox, raccoon, or house cat were to get too close, they’d fake an injured wing and limp away from the nest to distract the animal. That’s some extra-mile parenting! Who knows if that little chick will remember to call mom this time next year…Desktop Version

Nov 10, 2018The Badlands celebrates a milestone

Badlands National Park was officially designated a national park on this day in 1978, ensuring 244,000 acres of picturesque landscape are protected for all to enjoy. The region first gained the nickname ‘badlands’ from the Lakota people, a nod to the extreme temperatures, lack of water, and rocky terrain. But it’s not all rugged land here. The national park includes prairie as well—home to bison, deer, and the endangered black-footed ferret, nicknamed ‘prairie bandit.’Desktop Version

Bing wallpaper for mobile