A U.K.-based photographer on Saturday shared an image showing a gnarled section of tree trunk and asked his followers to look for the camouflaged critter.
“Retweet when you find it,” Carl Bovis, a renowned birder, directed via Twitter.
Bovis authorized the use of his image and FTW Outdoors, likewise, asks viewers if they can spot the main subject.
Retweet when you find it.. 😊 pic.twitter.com/JgzKmY6KOr
— Carl Bovis (@CarlBovisNature) October 29, 2022
The number of retweets surpassed 5,000 as of Monday morning. Many followers, obviously, spotted the owl peering from its perch in a hollowed portion of tree.
Some, however, did not.
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Reads one comment: “A clue to what was being looked for would of helped. The gnarly wood on the far left looked like an ancient mud slide with cow like creature preserved in the earth.”
Bovis told FTW Outdoors: “The species is a Little Owl, and the photo was taken earlier in the year on farmland on the Somerset Levels. Little Owls live in tree holes.”
The little owl (Athene noctuca) is sometimes referred to as the owl of Athena, with the genus name commemorating the Greek goddess.
Also referred to as the owl of Minerva, the little owl was a prominent symbol in Old World civilizations, associated with wisdom and intelligence.
The owls can measure 8 inches and can live about 15 years in the wild. Their habitat includes savannas and grasslands, and prey includes everything from worms to small vertebrates.
Like most owls, little owls are masters of camouflage. The owl’s location on the Bovis image is circled above.