Baby owls hatch for first time at wildlife center

By Elizabeth Hunter

Adorable baby owls have been hatched for the first time at a Scottish wildlife center.

The pair of mottled owls was born four weeks ago, and were the first of their species to be bred at the Scottish Owl Centre.

While staff will not be able to tell if the owls are male or female until they reach around 6 weeks old, keeper Trystan believes the larger of the two is female, and her sibling male.

Sadly, the father of the pair passed away before the chicks hatched, and so Trystan has spent the last month hand-rearing the owlets.

He said: "These little ones are the first ones that we've bred, so we're very excited.

"Sadly, the male passed away, so as there was not going to be a dad delivering food to mom, I decided I would step in and do the job for them.

"They're doing really well — they're lovely colors and they're so cute.

"Like all youngsters, they tend to spend a lot of time eating, pooping, and sleeping.

"At the moment, they are really learning to see the world around them, particularly the bigger one — she spends most of the time looking around.

"The other one is developing his motor skills — he wants to be out and moving around and exploring.

"It's interesting to see their different personalities already at this stage, because they're only four weeks old."

The pair, who have not been named yet, will either take part in flying shows at the Scottish Owl Centre, or be sent to other owl sanctuaries to find a mate.

Mottled owls are native to Central and South America, and are named for their distinctive mottled brown feather pattern.

Typically, they live in forests and jungles, and measure between 11 and 14 inches at full maturity — with females often larger than males.