We’ve got a pair of very contrasting owls in this match.
The stoic Little Owl lives in temperate Eurasian and northern Africa. This modestly small owl is thought to be the pet of Athena/Minerva, serving as an advisor, guide, and companion. This owl is one that actually enjoys some human presence. They prefer the openness of farmland, fields, and orchards for the open spaces in which they hunt. They will swoop down on some prey, but also do a lot of hunting on foot.
The Milky Eagle Owl on the other hand, is Africa’s largest owl. This owl has a very unique look, having a sad and pouty face with prominent pink eyelids. The Milky is large and powerful enough to eat almost anything it chooses, and being an apex predator keeps it safe from most other animals. Do not let its size fool you though-while it normally swoops prey, it is still quick and agile enough to catch insects in midair.
Will the mythological owl spirit away with a win, or will the massive hunter from the African savannah claim a mighty victory?
Vote for your favorite below by upvoting your choice. Winner is the owl with the most upvotes after 24(ish) hours. Feel free to vote for both, but no downvotes, as they will be thrown out. A neutral third party will break any ties. Cast your vote now, and feel free to cheer on your choice in the comments, but no bashing the other owl or your fellow community members. They are all superb!
#superbowl #owloftheyear2024
Milky Eagle
Oh Milky, I‘m tired, too
I get really stressed out doing this contest, as I get really conscious of trying to present each bird with equal appeal. It took a while for Milky to grow on me I will admit, but now I just see it as such a unique owl. No other one looks anywhere close to it. Where I used to see it as kinda ugly, I now see it as the owl version of Eeyore on Super Soldier Serum.
It has been more popular in posts this year than I thought it would be, and as of now at least, it’s tied in the poll here now, so I’m glad people are seeing the good in it as much as a conventionally attractive owl like the Little Owl.
Please don’t get stressed. We’re all having fun here!
I just want to know I’m treating them all fairly. They are all great, but doing it all myself, I just try to keep my bias out of anything so I don’t worry I’m taking away some fun for any of you. And it’s not like the owls have any idea I’m doing this, nor would they care, but I want to honor them all equally. Especially with one like the Milky where I thought they were fugly for a while, but now I really enjoy them since I spent more time learning about them. I don’t want new people to look at it and be all “bleck” right away. I want to sell them as the awesome owl they are without playing favorites at the same time. I want to pick photos that show their funky style but not come off as ugly to the uninitiated. I just want to be respectful of you guys, the spirit of the owls, and the fun of the contest.
It’s a lot of work gathering the facts, pics, and doing fun writeups, but it’s hard for me to get ahead of it like I can with daily posts, and I’m on a timeline to keep everything rolling. It’s like a marathon, I do it because I know it’s fun, but then once it’s started I ask why did I do this to myself, but when it’s over, I get all year to think about how much fun we had doing it. Part of me likes to stress…it keeps me motivated. 😅
And we appreciate all your hard work! This is the most dynamic, invested, engaging, interactive, positive, and enthusiastically mod-ed group in Lemmy.
To keep your sanity, remember that the owls don’t care about the outcomes of our proxy contests. Not only do the not care, they’re utterly oblivious!
That must reduce the stress from obligation some.
Seeing you guys have fun always helps. I’m glad we all get to enjoy ourselves here.
Milky is showing off its eyeshadow. I appreciate the effort it put into this contest. Milky gets my vote.
It’s a truly one of a kind owl. I’m glad you like it!
Little Owl
This one gets my vote. He’s so little and cute 🥰
They are my iconic little brown owl. They are not my favorite owl, as there are a bit too many that look very similar to this one, but I like these little fellas have somewhat evolved to be close to us in nature. We make each others’ lives a little better by sharing an ecosystem, which I do feel sets these guys apart in a personal way.
The Little Owl is rightfully praised in song and story already. Let’s hear it for Eyeshadow Eagle!
I love seeing both today’s races in dead heat. I’m hoping we have no ties though, I already asked my tiebreaker her picks, and she likes the opposite ones I do! 😅
As a Little Owl kept me up half the night whilst camping once, just about drowning out the volumous snoring of another unknown camper (not sure if that’s a plus or minus!) then I have to favour the demure looking Milky Eagle Owl for this round!
We all must face consequences of our actions eventually! 😆
I’ll be updating the original pinned bracket thread with the up to date standings, so check there to follow along who won/lost.
I’ll post commentary on the results in the new daily polls on their respective sides of the bracket.
Barking Owl didn’t seem to stand a chance yesterday. I thought it would be a much closer race as both owls have a decent bit in common visually. Was also expecting the Aussy to have an advantage do to theoretically having a bigger home audience, but it looks like Lemmy really loves NZ. A number of Discworld fans likely threw in with the Morepork. I do think it’s an adorable owl, and I love its names and the calls that inspired them. Whoever it faces next I think is going to be a well matched competitor for the Ruru, as both Little and Milky seem decently popular. Milky is very a different type of owl all around, and Little Owl evens out the possible NZ advantage as the Little Owl has been a resident of New Zealand for about 100 years now, having been brought over to the country intentionally.
Tomorrow’s match between Blakiston’s Fish Owl and Eurasian Eagle I’m thinking is going to be heated. Both are big, badass owls that have well-earned popularity here.
