owl

tags: birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz [Mystery bird] photographed near the Larsen Lake Blueberry Farm in Bellevue, Washington. [No one, not even the photographer, knows the ID of the bird that made this snow-print. The photographer is seeking your help IDing this bird] Image: Ben Bardill, December 2008 (many thanks to Denny Granstrand for obtaining permission to share this image with us) [larger view]. There's a second image below the jump that might give you a better idea of this bird's size. Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification. [Mystery bird]…
tags: transformer owl, African Owl, animal behavior, humor, streaming video This interesting video shows you the anti-predator behaviors of an African owl species -- her behaviors are different for different owl species (narration is in Japanese) [3:20] Can you name all the owl species depicted in this video?
Via Cute Overload and NVDH.
Some very cool BBC vids of arctic wolves getting pestered by snowy owls, then doing some pestering of their own. Both videos are below the fold because, unfortunately, we can't seem to prevent them from both running automatically and don't want you to startle your cubicle mate unintentionally. Methinks the snow geese should have taken this threat a little more seriously...
One of the world's smallest and rarest owls was seen for the first time in the wild. The American Bird Conservancy announced the discovery Thursday by a group of researchers monitoring Peru's northern jungle. The owl, called an "owlet" due to its emasculatingly small size, is so distinct that it has its own genus, "Xenoglaux," meaning "strange owl." According to one of the team members, the population is estimated to be less than 1,000 birds and possibly as few as 250. The bird has bright reddish-orange eyes and is no bigger than a man's fist.You woke me up for this?!, xenoglaux loweryiMore…