Great horned owl Oct. 29, 2024

The Halloween season is upon us, so let"s meet one of the holiday"s icons: the great horned owl. With its keen vision, eerie vocalisations and silent flight, this owl has historically been revered and feared. In folklore and mythology, owls were considered symbols of wisdom and omens of death. On Samhain, the Celtic precursor to Halloween, the owl was believed to be the kin of roaming spirits.

© Mark Newman/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

One of the oldest parks in Quebec
Oct. 29, 2023Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia, USA
Oct. 29, 2025Ancient til trees in Fanal Forest, Madeira, Portugal

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Apr. 7, 2026International Beaver Day
Celebrating Canada and Englands common bond
A gorge-ous place to drop in
Mar. 31, 2026Paradise Cave, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Vietnam
A world within a world
Mar. 30, 2024Brown-throated three-toed sloth
Aug. 21, 2023Discovery Day in Canada
Apr. 7, 2024International Beaver Day
May the 4th be with you
Sep. 16, 2025Nighttime view over the Gulf Coast
Dec. 13, 2025Merced River, Yosemite National Park, California, United States
Apr. 3, 2025Rufous hummingbird
Apr. 29, 2024Fujian Tulou, China
Jun. 12, 2025Big Bend National Park, Texas, United States
Aug. 25, 2023Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Jan. 14, 2024Whooper swans
Jan. 30, 2025Vancouver International Boat Show
Whats so funny?
Dec. 20, 2024Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland
Apr. 27, 2024Leucistic Annas Hummingbird, California, USA
Don’t look down!
Jul. 3, 2025Rainbow River, Rainbow Springs State Park, Florida, United States
Sep. 7, 2024Annas hummingbird
Lets protect our turtles
Apr. 30, 2025International Jazz Day
Up and away!
Apr. 24, 2025Spire Cove in Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward, Alaska, United States
Oct. 14, 2023Ring of fire solar eclipse
Aug. 8, 2024Spotted owlet, Bangkok, Thailand
Winter wonderland for your wallet