Hey Duolingo Owl … how do you say, “Are you feeling okay?”

There are plenty of apps designed to help people learn languages, but only Duolingo comes with an adorable digital owl coach. Duo the owl (or chouette, en français!) is the app’s mascot and icon, and his job is to encourage users to complete their language lessons each day.

Normally, Duo is a cute little guy with green feathers and big, expressive eyes. When you’ve been working hard at your lessons, Duo shows up wearing a sweatband and lifting barbells to show that he’s breaking a sweat right there with you. When you get enough questions right, he jumps into the air to celebrate in a swirl of digital glitter and stars. But just like anyone else, Duo has off days, too.

What is up with the sick Duolingo icon?

Every so often, Duolingo users notice that Duo is looking a little rough. Perhaps they haven’t opened the app in a while and their budding language skills begin to languish. Next time they glance at the app, they might see a very different Duo. At times he merely looks sad and defeated, but other times he sports red-rimmed eyes, a drooping eyelid, and the worst part: mucus streaming from his beak.

Whoa … Duo looks like hot garbage! Por qué?

It seems that this is a tactic that the Pennsylvania-based Duolingo, Inc. has used before in order to increase engagement with their users. Anyone who uses the app knows that Duo can be a bit of a nudge, constantly popping up with reminders to do your language lessons. But it seems that users have gotten good at ignoring the little fellow, so the company found a new way to get their attention.

Users flocked to social media to discuss their “sick” Duolingo icons, and some recalled that Duolingo, Inc. responded to questions about the changing icons back in October 2023, when Duo appeared to be melting. In a statement issued to Distractify, a Duolingo representative explained, “The melting Duo you see is a new app icon that learners will see for a limited time. If learners have the latest version of the Duolingo app downloaded, they should see Melting Duo as the app icon. The purpose of the new app icon is to encourage learners to open the app.”

So, there it is. They’re just trying to get your attention, and if a snotty-nosed owl does the trick, so be it! Hoot hoot, my good man.

How do you get rid of the sad version of Duo?

If you’re a Super Duolingo or Duolingo Max subscriber, you’re in luck! You can simply tap the Duo icon in the top right and change the icon to the Super or Max-themed Duo. Or, if you’re a member of the Streak Society (for those who have completed 50-days of lessons in a row), you can customize your app logo by following the same steps.

For everyone else … time to get back to work! Duo will feel (and look!) better if you complete your daily lessons, and you wouldn’t want to let down a cartoon bird, right?