Welcome to the start of the 2025 Owl of the Year!

We've gathered a wide array of owls from around the world to compete to see who rules the roost for the next year. From the largest to some of the smallest, from angelic white to killer camo or wild patterns, and from those that hunt butterflies all the way up to some small wild cats. Whatever you think is amazing or crazy, we've got the owl for you here.

The rules are as simple as before - upvote the owl you like and the highest score after about 24 hours wins and goes on to the next round. Vote for one, none, or both. In a tie, I find someone to cast a tie breaker, usually Mrs 6789. When the dust settles, one owl will be crowned Owl of the Year and become the face of the group for the next year.

All that said, let's get this thing going!

We're starting off with our first ever OotY winner, White Faced Owl! This is one charming owl! It's got some great coloration, one of the most fabulous moustaches, and is probably the cutest owl out of Africa

This small owl hunts the savannah, mainly looking for insects to much on, though it will step up to birds or small mammals if they get up their appetite.

Taking on the challenge of being the first to step up to White Face is another small and uniquely colored owl that may be new to you, the Buff Fronted Owl.

Also from south of the equator, this time from South America, Buff Fronted sports golden feathers and a black mask, striking a very distinctive look. It's found all over the continent in dry forest, palm groves, fruit plantations, or rainforest.

A lot about this owl remains a mystery, but that only adds to its intrigue. Can this masked mini steal your vote today?

Lets see those votes and start this year's games off right!

#owloftheyear2025 #superbowl

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[–] [S] 52 points 11 months ago

White Faced

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  • [–] [S] 35 points 11 months ago (6 children)
  • [–] 3 points 11 months ago (3 children)

    Wow - in a shocking upset it's Buffy over WFS!

    Coming into the contest, the Buff Fronted was virtually unknown, and still remains a mystery! And of course the WFS has a great program that usually sweeps the first few contenders, but not today!

    Superbowl fans say the smoky eye and added mystery of Buffy gave it that extra edge that anyone up against WFS needs to have if they're going anywhere other than the locker room!

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  • [–] [S] 3 points 11 months ago (2 children)

    Buff just barely squeaked into the tournament, so seeing it pull ahead early is a real accomplishment, if it can hold onto that lead or not.

    This is why you gotta check out every match... Anything can and will happen and no Owl gets a free ride!

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  • [–] 8 points 11 months ago* (2 children)

    My Buff Orpington hen says "Go Team Buff!"

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  • [–] 7 points 11 months ago (1 child)

    White faced are just so charismatic.

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  • [–] [S] 5 points 11 months ago

    They do feel designed to win a beauty contest, it's no wonder it was the first winner and continues to do so well.

    That said, Buff Fronted is putting up a good resistance despite being a longshot. I think I find some really competitive photos and I love the green eye highlights in the first image. That send very unique.

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  • [–] 4 points 11 months ago (1 child)

    The brown corduroy jacket looks classier than the grey tracksuit. Buffy for me.

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  • [–] 3 points 11 months ago (3 children)

    White faced.

    The other guy looks like his mascara is running.

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  • [–] [S] 5 points 11 months ago (2 children)

    Aww. I think the mask is striking and I like the head shadow that reminds me of the Saw Whet but with that great golden buff coloration like in the chest of the Spectacled Owl in the other game today.

    Like the Long Ear that I feel is constantly underrated here, I just don't get why this guy isn't more popular. Better overall than a White Face? That is a much tougher question.

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  • [–] 3 points 11 months ago (1 child)

    If it's not too late to vote, I have been told to vote White-Faced.

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  • [–] [S] 3 points 11 months ago

    You're good to vote still. Voting runs approximately 24 hours until I put up the next rounds. At that point, I change the title to Closed and post the final scores. Weekends it's a little looser based on when I actually wake up 😁

    Just upvote for the owl or owls that you think are tops!

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  • [–] 2 points 11 months ago (1 child)

    I'm going to have to go with the white faced owl

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