In the midst of new births at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, a mating pair of Great Horned Owls have returned to Disney’s Animal Kingdom to nest and hatch chicks.
According to WDWNT reader, Mark Johnson, the pair of Florida-Native Great Horned Owls have been visiting the Maharajah Jungle Trek each spring season over the last several years to hatch their young. This year, they made home on the third pillar of the facade as guests enter the aviary.
The owls are not owned by Disney, and as a protected species, Disney is not allowed to interact or manage the birds. Therefore, they can nest wherever they wish. One of the parent owls, likely the male owl, is shown above on a tree branch near the nest.
Here, likely the female owl is perched atop the pillar. If you look closely, there are small, white puff-balls popping up above the foliage. Those are the hatchlings. According to Audubon.com, Great Horned Owls will typically lay 2-3 eggs per season. We do not know how many hatchlings have been born at this time.
Our reader included a story in their note to us about previous-year’s hatchling. One of the young owls fell into the tiger habitat within the Maharajah Jungle Trek. The tigers apparently appeared interested in eating the young owl, but would then look up at the large parents and leave it alone. Per the story, the hatchling learned to fly within 24 hours of being in the habitat and was able to fly back up to mom and dad. Audubon also mentions that, “young may leave the nest and climb on nearby branches at 5 weeks, can fly at about 9-10 weeks; tended and fed by parents for up to several months.”
Great Horned Owls are known to be aggressive and powerful birds of prey, even sometimes referred to as “tiger owls,” making the above story even more unique.
Other recent births at Disney’s Animal Kingdom include a baby tiger, named Bakso along with a new Masai giraffe, named Tucker.
While the Great Horned Owls are not an official resident of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney collaborates with experts from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the Species Survival Plan to help boost endangered and threatened species. Since its inception in 1995, the Disney Conservation Fund has directed over $132 million to community conservation programs and worked with communities to protect wildlife and promote environmental resilience.
Have you ever seen the Great Horned Owls at Animal Kingdom? Let us know in the comments.
Sources: Mark Johnson (WDWNT Reader), Audubon.com
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