22 March 2024

Eurasian eagle owls Dumbledore and X are dad and mom once more on the Nationwide Aviary. Their newest chick hatched on 15 March and is rising shortly and thriving within the Aviary’s Avian Care Heart. You may see the chick and his caregivers by means of the Avian Care Heart window.

When the chick hatched he weighed 55 grams (0.121 kilos, roughly the dimensions of a small lime) however will develop so quickly that in solely eight weeks he’ll be absolutely grown, weighing as much as 4kg (9 kilos!) with a wingspan of as much as 6.5 ft.

I’ve mentioned “he” for this chick however there isn’t a option to visually inform whether or not he’s male or feminine. The Nationwide Aviary will do a DNA feather check to find out the chick’s intercourse.

Ultimately he’ll appear like his dad and mom who lead lively lives on the Nationwide Aviary. His father, Dumbledore, participates in flight exhibits and meets guests when he’s not busy breeding.

I don’t have current movies of X or Dumbledore (they’ve been busy off digicam!) so to offer you an concept of how large a Eurasian eagle owl is and the way calm one might be as an avian ambassador, watch the general public’s response when an owl visited the Hive Library in Worcester, UK with BBC Earth Unplugged.

Company are inspired to drop by on weekdays to see the Eurasian eagle owl chick as he grows! He’s the eleventh chick his dad and mom have hatched on the Nationwide Aviary through the years.

(credit and hyperlinks are within the captions)