Short-eared owl Jan. 28, 2025

The short-eared owl, featured in today"s image, is a grassland-dwelling member of the owl family. Found on all continents except Antarctica and Australia, it is one of the most widely distributed bird species. This winged bird is found across Canada, primarily in open habitats such as grasslands, prairies and wetlands. This raptor belongs to the genus Asio, whose members are characterised by feather tufts ("ears") on their heads. The short-eared owl only reveals its tufts when feeling defensive. Because of its irregular wingbeats, its flight is on the floppy side, much like a moth or bat. It likes to glide a few metres above the ground in open fields and grasslands, swooping down feet-first to grab its prey

© Dilshan Muthalib/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

When life imitates art
Jan. 28, 2024Channel Country, Australia

More Desktop Wallpapers:

A window to the Pacific
Jul. 5, 2025Tour de France
Mar. 30, 2024Brown-throated three-toed sloth
Postcard from Italy
Rugged coasts and temperate rainforests
Feb. 15, 2025The natural ice wall of Misotsuchi, Chichibu, Japan
Dec. 6, 2025Everglades National Park, Florida, United States
The rivers run through us
One on land, a million in space
The most active volcano in the world
Apr. 3, 2024Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Jun. 13, 2024Registan Square, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Creating a better world
Feb. 28, 2024Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland, England
A sea of humanity
Oct. 12, 2025Village of Saranac Lake, New York, United States
Aug. 25, 2023Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
May 27, 2024Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve
Locals know this place simply as ‘the Met’
Poetry in suspense
Southern tip of a northern isle
Apr. 11, 2024Dragon waterfall, Venezuela
Oct. 25, 2024Frankenstein Friday
Family on parade
Why are blackbirds tied to winter?
Back to the future
A public restroom or a tourist spot?
Fly me to the moon
Nov. 1, 2025Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States
An ugly duckling no more