Great Horned Owl Fosters Dozens of Owlets, Owl first Flight, Center for Birds of Prey, Charleston SC

Meet Great Horned Owl 2051-02-060. She was admitted to our Avian Medical clinic in 2002 as a chick that someone attempted to rehabilitate in their home. Due to improper care, she imprinted on her human caretakers and therefore is non-releasable. Since then, she has been a wonderful education ambassador as well as a nurturing foster parent to dozens of Great Horned owlets.
Each year, we can carefully swap her unfertilized eggs for young orphans who are unable to be renested or reunited. Over the years, GHOW 2051-02-060 has reared dozens of chicks and has had as many as eight owlets at once! Currently, she is fostering two chicks that were admitted to our clinic a few months ago from Savannah, GA.
We placed a camera in the enclosure and captured unique interactions between the chicks and our foster owl mother, including practice wing flaps, jumps, preening behavior, and more.
Ultimately, foster chicks are released after a few months in her care. We are so grateful for GHOW 2051-02-060 and her willingness to care for some of our orphaned Great Horned owl chicks year after year.
MORE ABOUT THESE CHICKS: These two owlets were originally found on the ground, which is a common occurrence for young Great Horned owls as they will fledge their nest early and begin learning to fly by making short flights and jumps outside their nest. It can take several days or weeks for them to master flight, so they may find themselves on the ground after an unsuccessful attempt.
Please make sure to always observe wildlife from a distance and call a licensed wildlife facility before intervening if you find a bird on the ground. It may be a healthy fledgling learning how to fly, and its parents are most likely still nearby and caring for the chick.
#birdsofprey #Centerforbirdsofprey #greathornedowl #ghow #owlchicks #owlets #babybird #animalrescue #wildliferehab