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2025 Owl of the Year Official Bracket (lemmy.world)

submitted 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) by anon6789@lemmy.world to c/superbowl@lemmy.world

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You've waited for it, and now it is here: your 2025 OotY lineup!

There look to be many competitive races right off the bat. There's an amazing assortment of owl type from around the globe, and in the third year, we've really refined the list of owls down to some of the best. Both halves of the bracket seem balanced, and no owl has what I feel is an easy path forward. This may be our best tournament ever!

My goal is to start the games Monday Dec 1 with White Face / Buff Fronted and Spectacled / Black and White.

In the meanwhile, take a look at the bracket and tell me which matches have you excited/anxious. Which are going to be the toughest for you? Who has the best chance of winning? Do you see one who you think is going to come out of nowhere? Will Saw Whet or White Face win again, or are we going to see a new champ crowned? Whatever your thoughts, let's hear them!

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[-] JizzmasterD@lemmy.ca 19 points 4 months ago

This channel is what I actually give thanks for this weekend!

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 7 points 4 months ago

Well I appreciate that. I hope I can continue to live up to the standard that's been set!

[-] dragonfly@lemmy.world 11 points 4 months ago

Looks good! I think Sooty v Great Horned should be interesting.

And also, Go Screechies!

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 7 points 4 months ago

Sooty vs GHO is the opener that's gonna break my heart either way. That immediately caught my eye and got a nooooooooo 😭 out of me.

Screech has a fighting chance, and I wouldn't be shocked to see Screech vs the champ Saw Whet.

[-] GrantUsEyes@lemmy.zip 10 points 4 months ago

I rally behind the fish owls, let's go!!!

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 7 points 4 months ago

You've got 3 of the 4 of them, so the odds work in your favor!

[-] teft@piefed.social 9 points 4 months ago

As always i am on Team Saw Whet. Go team!

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 8 points 4 months ago

So little, so angry, such a cute owl...

[-] RagnarokOnline@programming.dev 8 points 4 months ago

Barn and Spectacled should win their first matchups easily, but I don’t know who-who will win that matchup to advance past the Sweet Sixteen 😰

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 6 points 4 months ago

Mottled did well in the qualifier and BnW was no slouch last season itself.

For myself, I've been a huge Barnie fan this year, and Speccy has done great in the regular postings recently, but one's gotta keep in mind they share this section of the bracket with Snowy. The Snowy fans have to be feeling overdue by now!

[-] Redacted@lemmy.zip 8 points 4 months ago

COME ON GREAT HORNED OWL WOOOOOOO

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 5 points 4 months ago

GHO is a timeless beauty. It's what my mind defaults to when I hear the word owl. What a combo of beauty and power!

[-] Redacted@lemmy.zip 5 points 4 months ago

I saw TWO of them two nights ago! Hooting that amazing call to each other. Almsot cried.

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago

It's an amazing sound! I like when they really lean into it and use their whole body to really blast that hoot out there 😀

I'm thrilled you got to see some! As fun as the pics and stories here are, nothing beats the real thing!

[-] too_high_for_this@lemmy.world 7 points 4 months ago

If Saw Whet doesn't win, the whole thing is rigged

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 5 points 4 months ago

Saw Whet is as popular as ever! It's been an amazing champion.

[-] Masterkraft0r@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 4 months ago

noooo saw whet vs little and the winner vs screech? impossible!!! this is a crime, a farce! stop the steal!

[-] Luvs2Spuj@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

And with Flammy and white faced on the other side of that bracket, the small owls are going to need to rally behind a single candidate (I hope it's Flammy!)

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago

If it isn't challenging by this point, I'm not doing my job right! 😜

[-] Masterkraft0r@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 4 months ago

there is not much in my life that i loved and hated with this much passion at the same time. i love what you doing and hate you for it. please keep doing what you do, you beautiful human

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago

Trust me, I feel much the same way! 😁

I spend 2 hours a day prepping the 2 posts, with my lede time getting shorter each round, for you to tell me how the one I like best sucks and instead you vote for some obscure owl that is impossible to find pics of for yet another round while I have to bite my tongue on why you so are dead wrong! Then I have to reply to everyone's comments like we're still friends after what you just did to me.

But yet I love Owl of the Year and think it's one of the greatest and most unique things on Lemmy and will gladly say let's do this again next year.

I'm seriously glad you guys have fun with this and look forward to it months ahead of time. It's a real pain in the ass, but it really amplifies the best things about this community. I can tough it out for 2 weeks or so for that. I want you to love your native birds and those around the world and to get you to care about them and their environments. They're awesome creatures, but then again, so are we sometimes!

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago

This is the way I felt about White Face / Shortie / Sooty / Flammy! Too many favs together!

[-] piwakawakas@lemmy.nz 4 points 4 months ago

Let's fucking Go Ruru!

Morepork for those outside NZ. I was surprised to see it on the list tbh

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago

Ruru actually finished 5th overall last year and I'm pretty sure did ok in 2023 as well. It's an adorable little owl with a fun name and has a built in international fan base thanks to the Discworld series of novels.

I try to make sure to cover the world of owls as evenly as possible, so there's no forgetting NZs unique (but no longer only) owl.

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[-] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago

Cripes I'm losing my shirt on this bracket. I feel like there should be a superbowl version of formula1dank memes or something.

Of course it could be some shady syndicate manipulating the votes to get their owl to the top.

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago

Right?! Some of these were nuts. Barn, GHO, Burrowing, and Spectacled are out already. White Face was trailing a noob for a solid chunk of time. There have been some big shake ups.

I think overall numbers may be lower than last year, so there are no signs of obvious fowl play.

It's kept my attention in every match. The last 2 years I felt I could pick a good number of winners, but not this year.

[-] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago

I think overall numbers may be lower than last year, so there are no signs of obvious fowl play.

I see what you did there. That’s a hoot!

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago

I'm a witty one 🤡

[-] RagnarokOnline@programming.dev 3 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Got my bracket all filled out! Let’s hope I can get at least one guess right.

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago

I get a ton wrong and do occasionally wonder what the heck you all are thinking picking some over others 😊

Do you dare say who your pick for the winner is?

[-] RagnarokOnline@programming.dev 3 points 4 months ago

I’m not off to a very good start :(

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago

The rest of the bracket looks pretty good, I think! Great Horned vs now White Face would be a tough one but not untenable.

Ural over Eagle Owl would be an interesting course of events too. It's the kind of surprise the previous matches show is possible.

I like your picks!

[-] RagnarokOnline@programming.dev 3 points 4 months ago

Thank you!

I really thought that Great Horned had a better shot against Barking, so I was hoping the votes would go that way.

It’s still anybody’s game!

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago

Nobody wants to end up facing that sly Scops! I'm hoping people's desire for variety wins out again and we get a different winner, though at least it isn't back to back if it does win. Snowy is a very solid choice.

[-] kersploosh@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 months ago

Go, Burrowing! Boreal is going to be a tough opening match, but I have a good feeling we'll start strong and go deep in the bracket. Look out; we're coming in hot!

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago

That face is just too cute 🥰

[-] RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago

In my heart, the winner is the Milky Eagle.

But, as usual, I will be voting for all of them.

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this post was submitted on 30 Nov 2025

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