It's almost Superb Owl Sunday 2025, so please enjoy these cool bird pics
Meghan L. Hall
·1-min read
Tundra, the new female snowy owl at the NEW Zoo, keeps a watchful eye on visitors. She shares an exhibit with her brother, Bubo. Gpg Newzoosnowyowl 022321 Sk32
If so, it might be time for you to unwind with some superb owls. These quirky birds might not be able to play football, but they still have so much to offer.
Even if you’re not an animal enthusiast, you might just find yourself fascinated by this lovely photo gallery full of super owl facts. After all, these critters can get pretty weird. Dive into the strange world of owl lore below, and find even more odd animal facts here!
A group of owls is called a parliament
Spotted owlets perch on a tree branch in Kathmandu on August 7, 2023. (Photo by Prakash MATHEMA / AFP) (Photo by PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP via Getty Images)
Owls can live up to 25 years old
A barred owl dozes on the limb of a cedar tree near Brownsville on Tuesday, June 18, 2024.
An owl's eye color indicates when it likes to hunt (day, twilight or night)
Neo, a great-horned owl, is displayed to a crowd at the 25th Earth Day-Bay Day in Heritage Park Saturday, April 13, 2024.
Owls vomit after hunting, often spitting out indigestible parts like fur and bones
Black-and-white owls (Strix nigrolineata) are pictured at the Wildlife Rescue Center in Alajuela, Costa Rica, on September 16, 2024. (Photo by Ezequiel BECERRA / AFP) (Photo by EZEQUIEL BECERRA/AFP via Getty Images)
Owls have three eyelids
An owl at the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary, in Jupiter, Fla., which is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and conservation of Florida’s wildlife and natural resources. The Sanctuary serves nearly 6,000 patients each year with a goal of releasing healthy animals back into the wild.
Not all species of owls can hoot
"Bubba" a great horned owl during the Marine Science Center Raptor Exhibit opening ceremony in Ponce Inlet, Tuesday, Dec.12, 2023.
Owls do not build their own nests and often taken a nest built by another bird to lay eggs
A Great Horned Owl sits in its nest Saturday, January 4, 2025 along Black Point Drive on the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK
An owl's heart rate can beat as fast as 400 times per minute
A Spectacled owl (Pulsatrix perspicillata) is pictured at the Leslie Pantin Zoo in Turmero, Aragua state, Venezuela on December 4, 2024. (Photo by Federico PARRA / AFP) (Photo by FEDERICO PARRA/AFP via Getty Images)
Researchers long believed sharks to be silent animals based on their anatomy, but unprecedented evidence shows the rig shark actively produces sound with its teeth.
A mother of two from Tennessee is speaking out after she says she was injured when she fell onto a dolphin's fin while taking part in a dolphin experience in Jamaica. Cierra Stockard said while on vacation with friends on March 16, she decided to opt for an experience with dolphins known as the "Dolphin Royal Swim" at Dolphin Cove Jamaica, a marine park with multiple locations throughout Jamaica, according to its website. The experience allows users to be "towed by two friendly Dolphins or feel the energy of these social marine mammals while they foot-push you to then splash into the water at maximum speed," the website states.
Two otters are still on the run after escaping from a zoo in Green Bay, Wisconsin, during a winter storm on March 20.Footage from NEW Zoo & Adventure Park shows the “wild night” North American river otters Louie and Ophelia had in the fresh snowfall, bouncing along and sliding on their bellies.These belly slides may just be the key to finding the otters, zoo staff said.“Otters have some of the most easily recognizable tracks of all mammals, due to the way they frequently slide on their bellies,” zoo staff wrote on Facebook.In the footage, the otters can be seen leaving deep impressions in the snow with their characteristic belly slides.According to staff, the otters broke out of their habitat through a small breach in buried fencing that they managed to enlarge just enough to squeeze through.Zoo staff have encouraged locals to report sightings of the otters along with footage, so they can track the otters’ possible location. A professional tracker and motion-sensor cameras are also being used to assist with locating the pair.According to staff, the otters do not pose a threat to the public.The zoo wrote on Facebook, “Both Louie and Ophelia were born in the wild and brought into human care through a process of rehabilitation. North American river otters are native to our area and are very comfortable and capable of surviving in Wisconsin’s climate.” Credit: NEW Zoo & Adventure Park via Storyful
Dozens of bird eggs and chicks were rescued from nests in a single wind-damaged eucalyptus tree that was dangerously close to collapsing in a California park. Now staff at the International Bird Rescue’s Los Angeles Wildlife Center have been working around the clock to care for the 47 eggs and 12 chicks, all double-crested Cormorants, in hopes that they will be able to be released back into the wild in a few months. The tree at a park in Marina del Rey was flagged earlier this month after one of its trunks fell and crushed a trash bin enclosure, explained Nicole Mooradian, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches & Harbors.
Oakland Zoo has welcomed a new cotton-top tamarin, Ash, to keep Alberto company after the passing of his former companion, Mia, last November.According to the zoo, Ash, a female tamarin from Idaho Falls, bonded with Alberto while completing her intake quarantine and is now settling into her new home.“We are pleased to share that both tamarins are now exploring their habitat and having a great time chasing each other around,” the zoo said.Footage released on March 24 shows Ash and Alberto in their enclosure. Credit: Oakland Zoo via Storyful
New drone footage reveals the shocking living conditions of dolphins at a marine park where four dolphins have reportedly died in the last six months. The video, released by the animal welfare non-profit UrgentSeas, shows a small concrete tank currently housing 12 dolphins at Gulf World Marine Park, a dolphinarium in Panama City Beach, Florida. UrgentSeas is calling for the dolphins to be relocated to more suitable environments after the park lost four dolphins in the past six months. Bottlenose dolphins Gus, 14, Turk, 15, and Nate, 20, died in quick succession in October 2024, followed by the death of a fourth dolphin, Jett, 14, earlier this month. According to the Marine Mammal Inventory Report (MMIR), which tracks marine mammals held in captivity in the U.S., Gus was euthanized for a life-threatening condition, Turk died from a bacterial lung disease and Nate died from a systemic infection. According to local media, Jett’s death was the result of an acute head trauma after eyewitnesses reported seeing the dolphin crash into a shallow area of the pool while performing a trick.
It’s April 2024, and I am bent over a bleeding pigeon. This has become our daily reality at the charity: it’s now rare for us to get through a week without hearing of an animal being maimed or killed by a catapult in our area of Greenwich and Bexley.
Five "severely neglected" lions who were rescued from war-torn Ukraine have been welcomed to their new "forever home" in the UK - where they have all stepped on grass for the first time. The Lion Rescue Centre was officially opened at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent, on Tuesday by the charity's ambassador - Bake Off star Paul Hollywood. A fundraising campaign collected £500,000 to build the centre which is the home for the lions Rori, Amani, Lira, Vanda and Yuna.
