13 Stunning Owl Photographs You Must See

A spotted eagle owl closes one eye in Botswana's Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

The many species of owl across the world are amazing. They're exciting! They're fantastic! They're charming! Now that bird is one superb owl. For some reason, though, we're seeing the Twitter and Instagram hashtag #SuperbOwl and #SuperbOwlSunday taken over by some pro sporting event. Not sure what that's all about. Regardless, check out these birds! They're truly, well ... you know.

Two owlets on a branch. The Eurasian eagle-owl's scientific name is Bubo bubo. Male North American saw-whet owl can make rhythmic tooting songs for hours on end during mating season. The short-eared owl's scientific name is Asso flammeus, meaning "fiery." Great horned owls can't turn their heads completely around, but they can rotate their necks about 270 degrees. This little owl (Athene noctua) hunts) was photographed in Hungary with a fresh catch of mammalian prey. The tawny owl (Strix aluco) often claims favorite branches from which to hunt, returning to the same spot multiple times. Owls belong to the order Strigiformes, and there are around 220 separately identified species. This great gray owl (Strix nebulosa) was photographed in Kuusamo, Finland. Less than 10 percent of owls belong to the barn owl family Tytonidae, with the rest, like this South African giant eagle owl photographed closing its eyes, categorized in the family Strigidae. Screech owlets, like the four pictured here, are found in North America and usually hatch around late March to early April. Now That's Interesting

Don't call an owl's unconventional eyes its eyeballs: they can't rotate or swivel in the owl's head, and are actually tube-shaped.