Photography

Superb Owl Sunday X

A special Sunday event: our tenth-annual photo collection celebrating these magnificent birds of prey. If you have some time before the big game (or are skipping the event entirely), we invite you to have a look.

By Alan Taylor
A close view of an owl looking right at the camera, with its wings and feathers puffed up
Binnur Ege Gürün Koçak / Anadolu / Getty
An owl is pictured at the Ankara University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Wild Animals Unit in Ankara, Turkey, on February 27, 2025. Thirty wild birds are being treated and rehabilitated by veterinarians and student volunteers at the facility.
A snowy owl glides over a snow-covered field.
Chi Shiyong / VCG / Getty
A snowy owl glides over the snow-blanketed grasslands at Hadatu Ranch on a cold day in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, China, on December 22, 2025.
A close view of the face of an owl
Renhue / Getty
A close view of the face of a buffy fish owl
A barn owl sits in a barn window with broken panes.
Christian Kosanetzky / ImageBroker / Getty
A barn owl sits in an old barn window in East Westphalia, Germany.
Two young owls peer curiously from a hole in a wall.
C. Kosanetzky / ImageBroker / Getty
Two young owls peer curiously from a hole in a wall in Lower Saxony, Germany.
A crow harasses an owl, flying at it with talons out.
Alper Tuydes / Anadolu / Getty
A crow harasses an owl in a rural area of Van, Turkey, on December 23, 2025.
A close view of the eye of an eagle owl
Tahreer Photography / Getty
A close view an eagle owl’s eye
A small owl perches on beach sand, in front of iconic peaks in Rio de Janeiro.
Bob Karp / ZUMA Press Wire / Reuters
A burrowing owl perches on the sands of Ipanema Beach in front of Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Two Brothers Mountain, an uncommon but not unheard-of sight along the city’s coast, on July 4, 2025.
An owl soars past a tree covered in Spanish moss.
Harry Collins / Getty
A barred owl soars past a tree covered in Spanish moss.
A close view of the face of a snowy owl, looking down toward the camera
Slavek Ruta / ZUMA Press Wire / Reuters
A snowy owl, raised by a falconer as part of a captive-breeding program, is pictured in its enclosure in Vysočina, Czech Republic, on October 22, 2025.
An owl nests in a hollow in a tall cactus.
Christopher Hall / Getty
A great horned owl nests in the hollow of a tall saguaro cactus.
A close view of the talons of a large owl
Science Photo Library / Reuters
A close view of the talons of a Eurasian eagle owl
A small owl, perched beside a man.
Yasser Al-Zayyat / AFP / Getty
An Eurasian eagle owl looks on during a scientific exhibition at Kuwait University’s College of Science in Kuwait City on November 24, 2025.
An owl sits inside a tree hollow, its feathers blending in with the rough bark of the tree.
Volodymyr Kucherenko / Getty
A Eurasian scops owl sits in a deep tree hollow and blends into its surroundings.
An owl perches on a cable while clutching a rodent.
Christopher Drost / Shift Digital / ZUMA Press Wire / Reuters
A northern hawk owl perches while clutching a rodent near Innisfil, Ontario, Canada, on March 17, 2025. Commonly found in northern boreal forests, this non-migratory bird delighted wildlife photographers and nature enthusiasts with its rare appearance less than an hour north of Toronto.
An owl tucks its wings as it soars past evergreen trees.
Scott Suriano / Getty
A boreal owl tucks its wings as it soars past evergreen trees in Minnesota.
A small owl perches on a bare tree in a wintry landscape.
Ondrej Prosicky / Getty
An austral pygmy owl perches on a tree in Torres del Paine, Chile.
An owl perches on the gloved arm of a snowman.
Bernd Wüstneck / DPA / Getty
A bearded owl named Emilia settles on a snowman that keepers made for the birds in a bird park in Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, Germany, on January 9, 2026.
Three fuzzy owl chicks sit hidden near a tree.
Christian Kosanetzky / ImageBroker / Getty
Three eagle owl chicks sit hidden near a tree in Lower Saxony, Germany.
A snowy owl flies above a snowy plain.
Nikpal / Getty
A snowy owl hunts among the snowy plains of Saskatchewan, Canada.
A pair of owls perch together on a dilapidated rooftop.
Ondrej Prosicky / Getty
A pair of owls perch together in Bulgaria.
An owl rests on a branch at sunset.
Lindsey Wasson / AP
An owl rests on a branch as the sun sets at Papago Park in Phoenix on February 25, 2025.
A snowy owl, barely seen, peeks over a roof.
Brittany Crossman / Getty
A snowy owl peeks over a roof.
An owl flies toward the camera, the background slightly blurred.
Krzysztof Baranowski / Getty
A Ryūkyū scops owl flies toward a photographer in Ishigaki, Japan.

About the Author

Alan Taylor is a senior editor at The Atlantic.
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