Superbowl

August 4th !

Take time to enjoy this wonderful creature.

From Rob Palmer

Prairie Dog and Burrowing Owl

From Summer Beeler

The day this little Great Horned Owlet left the comfort of his nest must have been terrifying for him!! He flattened his little body out into a pancake and held on to the tree branch for dear life, every once in a while he would peer over the side of the branch and down at the world below!!

He has since gained the confidence of a strong owl and has become a fierce hunter, almost ready to live on his own!!

From Hawaii Wildlife Center

Pueo (Hawaiian Short-eared Owl) intensity level 11/10.

The Pueo is Hawaii's only native owl. They also have Barn Owls that were brought in to try and control rodents.

From Ali Cabang

Western Screech Owl Kelowna, British Columbia

The Eastern Screech is very neat and dear to me, but the Western ones have a bold, beautiful look to them.

The Screech's nest box door was open for some reason, so I peeped inside. I'm glad it looks to be doing well, but it seemed bothered to have someone calling during nap time, even if it was just me bring it room service. No tip for me today... 🤨

My last Red Tail patient was not happy it had to move so I could scrub down its enclosure. It tried intimidating me like this in the back end, and this photo is it blocking my way out. I'm trying to leave you alone, but you're where I need to be! It's good these guys don't get comment cards to show us how they feel about our service!

I love my angry birds though! ❤️

Superb owls so it fits the comm description! By @natachachoraart

From Andrew Hunt

July 2025: Absolutely overjoyed to see this female American Barn Owl, one of the most beautiful owls I have had the pleasure to observe - Richmond, BC, Canada

From Jeffrey Ong

Buffy fish owl quenching her thirst after hot day.

From Peter Betts

Keeping a Beady Eye on our campsite for our 2 week stay there. Scops owl in a roosting hole in an Appleleaf tree.

African Scops in Kruger National Park from what I can find in comments.

From Blackland Prairie Raptor Center

Nose Job? This Eastern Screech Owl came to our Rehab Center with some blood above its cere. The cere is a waxy fleshy covering above a bird's beak just below the eyes, where the nostrils (nares) are located. The owl is patiently sitting while our staff cleans the cere.

From Jennil Modar

Majestic and sharp-eyed, this hawk owl embodies the art of precision as it dives into the dance of the midday hunt. Nature's silent hunter at its finest.

Not many photos of these guys outside of winter. I really like them!

From Bamby Randhawa

Rock Eagle Owl - Hooting brings out the white feathers on the throat.

Location: Bhigwan grasslands

State: Maharashtra, India

Date: 7 June 2025

Also called the Indian or Bengal Eagle Owl, some consider this a subspecies of the Eurasian Eagle Owl. I calling it stunning!

From Blackland Prairie Raptor Center

Pure bliss (or a desperate attempt to look like a tree). A tiny Eastern Screech Owl in our Rehab Clinic.

I'm sure it's more the attempt to pretend it's anywhere else, but it does give the appearance of extreme cuteness. It's important to learn about animals and how they react to stress so we can be good friends to them and not be unwittingly terrorizing them the whole time.

The wild ones almost always act like we're the most annoying things ever, but I guess that's the price of their free medical care! 😉

From Raven Ridge Wildlife Center

We are profoundly inspired by the selfless actions of individuals who step up to help animals in need. Recently, on May 6th, we received a call from Jim, who witnessed a great horned owl stranded in the middle of a busy road. It was heartbreaking to see cars speeding by while the owl remained helpless and endangered. Alarmed by this alarming scene, Jim immediately turned his car around and activated his hazard lights to offer assistance. Tragically, another vehicle maneuvered around him and carelessly drove over the owl, leaving Jim horrified at the thought of this magnificent creature being harmed.

Driven by compassion and quick thinking, Jim reached for a towel in his car. Recognizing the urgency of the situation and knowing there was no safe way to contain the owl, he gently placed it in his trunk, creating a dark and quiet refuge that ensured the safety of both the owl and himself. The very next morning, he made his way to our facility, with the owl peacefully secured in his trunk.

We are overjoyed to share the remarkable release of this owl, which would have certainly faced a grim fate without Jim and his wife's decisive action. It was a privilege to have them both present for the release back home, far from the dangers of the road. Their extraordinary kindness not only gave this beautiful owl a second chance at life but also serves as a powerful reminder of how a single act of compassion can make a world of difference.

From John Clayton

Meet the Karthala Scops Owl !

The Karthala scops owl (Otus pauliani), also known as Grand Comoro scops owl or Comoro scops owl, is a small, scops owl endemic to the island of Grande Comore in the Comoro Islands.

The Karthala scops owl lacks ear tufts and come in two colour forms, a light morph and a dark morph. The light morph is dark greyish brown on the upperparts with fine barring and pale spots along the scapulars. The underparts are reddish buff with a dense pattern of fine barring on the flight feathers and tail. The dark morph is overall dark chocolate brown but no specimen of a dark morph individual has been taken. It measures approximately 20 cm (7.9 in) in length and the wingspan is 45 cm (18 in).

A whistled "toot" which is given repeatedly with one second intervals.

Endemic to the island of Grande Comore, the Karthala scops owl is found only on Mount Karthala, an active volcano. Here it inhabits the montane forest, some secondary growth and the tree heath above the forest.

Nocturnal and very territorial, the Karthala scops owl will approach an imitation of its call, otherwise almost unknown. It has relatively weak talons so probably feeds on insects and other invertebrates. It is though to nest in tree cavities.

It has an estimated population of 2,000. It is classified as endangered due to it being restricted to such a small area, which is being rapidly deforested.

From Keith Bannister

Long eared owl chick, taken about three weeks ago, fully fledged now and hunting for themselves, in their own territory.

From Stan Halen

Now you see me... Now you don't. The camouflage of owls, in this case a western screech owl, is incredible. I'm sure we walked by this lovely lady (90% sure?) more than once until we got a side view. May 2025

From Pete Hanna / Jesse Winston

Nice shot of her back showing lovely markings.

The main part is a video (ca. 5 min)

Jürgen Schneider 07/30/2025July 30, 2025 Across Germany, volunteers are going on patrol to protect owls and their disappearing habitats. Grazing areas often have to make way for new building projects.

In the orchard meadows nestled between Bonn and Cologne, conservation volunteers Andrea Caviezel and Jonas Bode are on summer patrol—checking nesting boxes for little owls, one of the country’s most vulnerable owl species. The carefully placed nesting boxes offer a lifeline to the elusive birds. With food availability and habitat quality playing a major role, successful broods—like the four healthy chicks found during one inspection—signal hope. The chicks are fitted with identification rings so they can be tracked by conservationists. These young owls will soon learn to hunt mice and beetles from low perches, provided the grass remains short and the environment intact.

🌾 Shrinking Habitats, Expanding Efforts

But habitat loss is a key problem for the owls. Prime owl territory is rapidly vanishing. Orchard meadows, once rich habitats, are being cleared for development or left ungrazed—diminishing ideal nesting grounds. Yet, there's progress too: webcams now monitor the nests of Eurasian eagle owls, a species rescued from the brink of extinction in the 1960s. Today, over 850 breeding pairs thrive across Germany thanks to groups like the Society for the Conservation of Owls (EGE). With 75 nesting boxes in the Bonn-Cologne area and half already occupied, long-term conservation efforts are clearly bearing fruit.

🏥 Second Chances Through Rescue and Rehabilitation

But not all owls make it unaided. For orphaned or injured birds, rescuer Dirk Sindhu and his shelter provide crucial care. Each summer, up to 15 birds arrive in need—some pulled from rivers, others found weak and stranded. Using surrogate parent birds, including eagle owls and buzzards, Sindhu ensures chicks are reared with proper instinctual guidance. The highlight comes when a rehabilitated bird—like today’s exhausted buzzard—is released back into the wild. It’s proof that with compassion, tradition, and teamwork, even the most delicate wildlife can take flight again.

This video summary was created by AI from the original DW script. It was edited by a journalist before publication.

From Savannah Rose

Ups and downs. Great grey owl chicks leave the nest before they can fly, so as a result they have an interesting relationship with gravity. This time, the poor thing plummeted to the forest floor.

From Christopher Spooner

I am very fortunate indeed, to have a long-lasting great rapport with this female Rufous Owl.

For over three years she has tolerated me being very close, and at times has flown down to perch near to where I am standing - which she did again last night - and once landed down at my feet where she picked up something (dropped food, perhaps?) before flying back up into the tree.

Such a special feeling when wildlife is so accepting of me on an ongoing basis!

A couple of weeks ago when I saw her for the first time in quite a few months, she appeared a little nervous. I spoke to her, and she immediately looked my way and calmed down - did she recognise my voice from last year's encounters?

Here are some shots from last night after she had fed the chick and flown down to a bare branch near to where I was.

I had not seen her land and perch, but she called a few times which alerted me to where she was, and then she quietened down when I went to her and spoke to her. A wonderful 10 minute encounter before she flew off to hunt.