PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — After hatching last month, The Oregon Zoo’s snowy owlets have begun to venture out of the nest.
The four owlets, born to parents Rocky and Banff, are growing quickly, the zoo said, and they expect that they will have their adult feathers within the next few months.
Jen Osburn Eliot, who oversees the zoo’s northwest area, shared that the largest of the hatchlings is already taking steps toward its first flight.
“The biggest of the group is already hopping around and spreading its wings quite a bit,” said Eliot. “We expect all four little ones to start making test flights over the next few weeks.”
According to the zoo, snowy owls hunt mainly on the ground and the owlets tend to develop quickly to help avoid predators.
“They’ll still look fluffier than their parents for a while,” Eliot said. “But they should have long feathers and be as large as adult snowy owls by the end of the summer.”
The fluffballs can be seen in the Zoo’s snowy owl habitat near ‘Black Bear Ridge’ and Eliot recommends keeping your eyes near the ground to spot them.
