Owls are beautiful and secretive creatures. Surely you have seen many owls around you; if not, you must hear their mysterious hooting sound instead. But have you ever seen a baby owl? How are the baby owls, and what is a baby owl called?
A newborn owl is called an owlet. A baby owl is a recently hatched bird with incomplete feathers and plumage and depends on its parents for feeding, care, and protection.
It is less likely to see a baby owl because its parents keep it in the nest and take intense care of and protect him. We are including everything you want to know about the fledgling owl in this article.
What Is An Owlet
The baby owl’s name is owlet. Like all other baby birds, owlets also differ from adult and young owls. The newborn owls have soft fluffy pink bodies and lack clear markings. Firstly the facial disc is developed. For the proper identification of an owl, the shape, size, color of the disc, eye, and even bill color are important. However, some young owls are slightly different from mature owls in colorations.
Size Of An Owlet
Owlets are pretty smaller in each species. For example, the great horned owl is larger, but its babies are just 3 inches tall at birth. And snowy owl chicks are born just 6.5cm tall. Owl chick grows very fast. But the uniqueness of the bird of prey is that their first days are truly critical for their survival.
Can Baby owl Fly
The innocent baby owls cannot fly but leave the nest at the age of 40 days and jump the nearby branches and rocks to strengthen their wings and legs. This jumping process is called branching. Owlet wings develop early, and the young owls can show their feather marks on their first flight. At the same time, the remaining body is still unclear.
How Do Juvenile Owls Look?
Baby owls grow quickly, depending on food availability and the environment. Owl chicks gain weight quickly from the first month. Between days 14 and 28, the owlet gain weight, and their face becomes prominent. But they can not leave the nest and be independent so early. Within 20 -30 days, they can feed themselves but must learn flying and hunting skills to be independent.
Young owls are curious about the world and keenly observe with bright eyes. Young owls are talkative and playful. They spend more time with their siblings.
What is a Group of Baby Owls Called?
It is less likely to see a group of baby owls. But seeing a baby owl group is extremely rare. Typically owls lay a small number of eggs, like 4 or 6 eggs. Some species lay more eggs, almost 10-12, depending on the season. Owlets spend almost one to three months in their nests.
Although owls are solitary and tend to isolate with their mating pair, not all owls are the same. Some owl couple flock together. Different species, like burrowing owls and tawny owls, flock together and have a good time. In this situation, their owlets mingle and play as a group.
Little Owl call
Owls are mostly identified by their hooting sound. Especially the great horned owl that delivers two deep “hoooooo” sounds to announce its territory. The echo of its loud sound goes for several miles.
As owls are nocturnal and birds of prey. Owls go for prey at night and leave their little owlets in the nest. Sometimes baby owls shriek at night due to hunger or want to call back their parents. In different owl species infants, shrieking sounds are different such as barn owl, snowy owl, or sooty owl.
Young owls give piercing screams when they are hungry. Young owls sometimes shriek when they feel danger. As well as whistling, barking, hissing, cooing, shrieking, and crying, adult owls, also make different hooting sounds.
Type of Baby Owls
There are more than 200 different owl species all around the world. The species are into two groups, barn owls and true owls, and both have different looks. Barn owls have heart-shaped faces, while true owls have round faces. So the owlets are also different in each owl species. Here are some types of baby owls.
- Barn owl
Barn owl chicks are soft and silky but ugly. But after a few weeks, they quickly develop the first layer of feathers and a specified heart-shaped face. After five weeks, they are recognizable, and their flight feathers start to grow. After seven weeks, they start wing flapping exercises. Finally, they start to make short flights by nine to ten weeks.
- Eastern screech owl
A screech owl egg usually hatches after 28 days of incubation. This little owlet lives with its parents for 8 to 10 weeks. And during this period, it grows faster and starts learning flying and hunting skills.
- Snowy owl
Snowy owl egg hatches after 32 days period of incubation. Snowy owlets are so small, and due to snowy weather, they need a lot of care and warmth to survive. The mother owl incubates them with its larger body and wings. During this period, male owls keep hunting and providing food for their family. The mother owl tears apart the meat and gives it to each member.
- Burrowing owl
Like other species of owlets, burrowing owls are small, fluffy bodies with a thin layer of white and grey feathers. They have black button-like round eyes and beautiful heart-shaped faces. Burrowing owlets are 19-25cm long and nearly 150gram weight.
- Stripped owl
Stripped owl is one of the most beautiful owl species. It has black, white and cinnamon-coloured stripes on its feathers. Owlets of stripped owls don’t have these stripes from the first month. Slowly its feathers grow, and the stripes appear.
Conclusion
Owls are beautiful sensational, and the most intelligent creatures of nature with unique hunting skills. Infants are the most attractive in each species, which is also true for owls. It isn’t easy to see an owlet normally. Because they spend more time with their parents and siblings, learning hunting skills. Young owls are more joyful and talkative, and like to play with other owlets.
Sure, let's break down the concepts covered in the article about baby owls:
1. Owlet - Baby Owl
The term used for a newborn owl is "owlet." They differ from adult and young owls, having soft, fluffy pink bodies initially and lacking clear markings. They rely on their parents for care, feeding, and protection.
2. Size of Owlets
Owlets vary in size across different owl species. For instance, while a great horned owl is larger, its babies are just 3 inches tall at birth. Snowy owl chicks are born at approximately 6.5cm tall. They grow rapidly in their early days, which is crucial for their survival.
3. Baby Owls' Ability to Fly
Baby owls can't fly initially. They leave the nest around 40 days old and start jumping to nearby branches and rocks to strengthen their wings and legs, a process called "branching." They develop wing feathers early on but need time to master flight.
4. Appearance of Juvenile Owls
As they grow, young owls gain weight rapidly. Between days 14 and 28, their faces become more prominent. They start feeding themselves within 20-30 days but require time to learn flying and hunting skills before becoming independent.
5. Group of Baby Owls
While it's rare to see a group of baby owls, some owl species lay small numbers of eggs (4-6), while others lay more (10-12). Owlets spend around one to three months in their nests, and some owl species, like burrowing owls and tawny owls, can flock together, allowing their young ones to mingle and play as a group.
6. Owl Calls
Owls are identified by their distinctive hooting sounds. The great horned owl, for instance, has a deep "hoooooo" that carries for several miles. Different owl species have various calls; young owls might shriek when hungry or in danger.
7. Types of Baby Owls
There are over 200 owl species categorized as barn owls and true owls, each with distinctive looks. For example:
- Barn owl chicks start developing feathers after a few weeks, with recognizable features at about five weeks and short flights by nine to ten weeks.
- Eastern screech owls stay with parents for 8 to 10 weeks, growing rapidly and learning flying and hunting skills.
- Snowy owl chicks need extra care due to the snowy weather, and the mother owl incubates them while the father hunts for food.
8. Conclusion
Owls are remarkable creatures with unique hunting skills. Baby owls are particularly attractive, spending time with their parents and siblings to learn essential survival skills. Young owls are playful and enjoy interacting with other owlets.
These points cover the key concepts discussed in the article about baby owls, from their early stages as owlets to their growth, behaviors, and specific characteristics across various owl species.
