This bright-eyed burrowing owl is emerging from its burrow just in time to enjoy the sunset here in Northern California. And yes, you read that right—it’s a burrowing owl. Unlike most owls, burrowing owls nest and roost underground, often in tunnels abandoned by ground squirrels or prairie dogs. It"s one of many traits that make the pint-sized species unique among owls. Burrowing owls live in grasslands, deserts, or other open dry areas with low vegetation. When threatened, they retreat to their burrows and are known to frighten off predators by mimicking the rattling and hissing sounds of a rattlesnake. And while most other owls sleep during the daytime, burrowing owls are often active in the daylight hours. It"s as if they didn"t finish proper owl training.
Here s looking at you
Today in History
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Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia
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Sea lion in a kelp forest, Baja California, Mexico
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Lick Observatory
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Keep calm and drive on (slowly)
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Kiteboarding and windsurfing in Croatia
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Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany
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Spire Cove in Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward, Alaska
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Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel in Arkansas
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Astronomy Day
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National Bison Day
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Wildebeest on the move
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Is that a smile?
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Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia, Chile
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Vancouver Coastal Sea wolves, Great Bear Rainforest, Canada
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Why, aloe there
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Remembering Jimmy Carter
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Blackbird in Essex, England
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La Geria wine region, Lanzarote, Canary Islands
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New Zealand s loneliest mountain
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It’s Art Deco Weekend in Miami
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World Oceans Day
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Weaverbird nests at Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve
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A Carpathian Christmas celebration
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Arctic fox in Norway
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Whales in winter
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Tolkien Reading Day
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Happy Boxing Day!
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New Orleans for Mardi Gras
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Vietnam’s new bridge deserves a big hand
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A day to celebrate the sun
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

