Up next is a pair of beautiful white (mostly) owls, the Snowy and the Barn.
Snowy, representing the "true owls" of family Strigidae, is coming right off a heated battle with Crested Owl that it only won with a 1 vote margin. Some have made it their mission this tournament to stop the attention seeking of Snowy and give someone else some time in the limelight. With that said, people around the world do love the Snowy and can't get enough of this beautiful bird!
Opposing the Snowy, from family Tytonidae, the Barn and Bay owls, is the eponymous Barn Owl. While some barn owls we know almost nothing about, the Tyto alba we're looking at today is one of the most studied owls, subject of many famous studies. They are found everywhere but Antarctica,and they don't do too well in extreme cold, so you can find them most anywhere, though coincidentally not in many if the same places as Snowy.
Both are tremendous owls, but we've only got one banner spot left, and one of these lovely birds has got to say goodbye. Which will it be? Upvote your favorite owl now!
#superbowl #owloftheyear2024
This is actually very hard. I ultimately went with the Barn Owl because it has such an iconic owl-y face but I really wish both could win.
I can guarantee you will see plenty more of both after the tournament!
It helps me gauge interest in different owls, and I've already started gathering some Crested and Spectacled pics since everyone liked them so much.
The White Faced Scops is a little challenge because I haven't t got too many sources specifically for them, but my goal for the new year is getting more non-US and European sources added to my owl feed.