From Hoo’s Woods
Here’s a cuteness overload for your day!
When this baby Great Horned Owl arrived two weeks ago, he was about the size of the smallest “bird buddy” next to him. In that short time, he has already doubled in size and will soon be standing as tall as the larger stuffed owl beside him.
Despite his rough start, he is expected to make a full recovery and will be rehomed with other wild owls. By around 7 weeks of age, owls reach their full size, but it takes several more months of learning from adult birds to develop the hunting and survival skills they need to thrive on their own.
These stuffed “bird buddies” may look simple, but they can play a role in providing comfort while allowing us to maintain a safe, wild distance.
If you come across what appears to be orphaned wildlife, please contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator before intervening. Proper assessment and care can make all the difference.
This larger one is actually the plush I was looking at for the open house event! It sounded like it should be life sized, but it’s good to see it in context. I think it was the International Owl Center that had a collection of lifelike and life-sized plushies that they weighted with beans inside to get them to the correct weight as well. Since we can’t let outside people handle our animals, this would give people a next-best experience to see the size and weight of an owl with their own hands.
I found a very similar life-sized Screech, but he’s out of stock right now. The Screech and GHO would give my guests the 2 most common owls where we live.