Today is the day we pick the other half of our final 4 contestants! We have some great matches today, and the pairings are perfect for some brutal bird battles.

This first matchup has a pair of the biggest owls of the Eurasian continent. We’ve got the Bubo bubo itself, practically owl royalty, the statuesque and stoic Eurasian Eagle Owl!

But big muscles are dirty looks aren’t everything… Not here at Owl of the Year. We’re nerdy for the birdies, so not all of us get to hang at the cool table with EEO and its friends. Some of us prefer the class clown, the one who doesn’t take itself so seriously. It’s friendly, it’s floppy, and it’s maybe just a tiny bit fishy… It’s the Buffy Fish Owl!

Which burb gets your precious upvote today?

    • pseudo@slrpnk.net
      4·
      23 days ago

      My family member says it looks like the owl in Winnie the Poe stories. Yet it hasn’t vote for it. I can’t blame them. The choice is too hard too be logical.

      • anon6789@lemmy.worldOP
        1·
        23 days ago

        Owl is a bit of a mystery.

        In the books, I’d say he is a Tawny. Definitely a chouette, and Eagle Owls were largely gone from England at the time the creator would have been thinking of the animals visiting his home.

        Disney’s Owl just seems vaguely owlish. It feels more based on an owl plush Christopher Robin would have and not a real owl. Not very anatomically correct at all. Book Owl even has the correct feet!

        I have not seen the recent live action Christopher Robin movie, and despite being very CGI, this version of owl is 100% Eagle Owl.

        • pseudo@slrpnk.net
          2·
          19 days ago

          I’ll pass the message to my relative. But funny thing. In French, the character is called “Maître Hibou”. So not tawny but I’m not even sure if I read the books.

          • anon6789@lemmy.worldOP
            1·
            19 days ago

            That is interesting they gave him an honorific. He’s just “Owl” for us. Adding the Maître reflects his personality well.

            • pseudo@slrpnk.net
              2·
              2 days ago

              Maître here means “Teacher” than “Master”. It is still an honorific but it means more on the proverbial wisdom of an owl.

              • anon6789@lemmy.worldOP
                2·
                2 days ago

                Yes, I was thinking of it in terms like school master. From what I recall, Owl always presents himself as very worldly and well-read, but really doesn’t know any more than the other animals. He’s just got an excess amount of confidence. 😄

      • anon6789@lemmy.worldOP
        2·
        23 days ago

        They’re amazing! I often get to see the one the falconers at the shore have on their team to chase the gulls away from tourists. His name is Ozzy.