Baby Owls: All You Need To Know (with Pictures)

Owls are mysterious creatures. In fact, anyone seeing an owl in the wild is lucky – you’re more likely to hear their distinctive call!

Seeing baby owls is even less likely, so we created this article with everything you need to know about baby owls, along with tons of baby owl pictures.

What does a little owl look like?

Most little owls are very fluffy and are usually covered with very thick white or gray down. They usually have round black button-shaped eyes and a heart-shaped head. A hook-shaped beak protrudes from the down. Young owls also have a very pronounced egg tooth, a sharp protrusion on their beak that allows them to pierce the egg as it hatches. These disappear about a week after hatching.

Some baby owls are really odd looking, especially barn owls, which have distinctly elongated faces that contrast with their fluffy white bodies.

A little tawny owl

How big is a baby owl?

Even the largest owls, such as the great horned owl, snowy owl, and Eurasian horned owl, are fairly small considering how large some of these birds are. Snowy owl chicks, for example, are only 6.5 centimeters (2.5 inches) tall. When fully grown, they are approximately 2.5 feet tall!

The situation is similar for great horned owls, which are only 3 inches tall at birth. Owl chicks grow at an astonishing rate, yet are the smallest and most helpless of all chicks. This is typical for birds of prey, meaning that the first few days of life are absolutely critical to long-term survival.

How much does a little owl weigh?

Babies of even great owl species only reach around 40 to 60 grams (2 ounces) at birth. By comparison, a standard chick might weigh around 30 grams, and a duckling around 50 grams. A baby great horned owl weighs only about 35 grams (1.2 ounces). Often, owls are very small indeed!

Two of the smallest owls in the world, the Elf and the Pygmy, weigh just 40 grams (1.5 ounces) when fully grown, while their chicks weigh just 4 grams (0.14 ounces)! They are barely bigger than bumblebees.

A little long-eared owl perched on a tree

What do juvenile owls look like?

Owl chicks grow and gain weight very rapidly during the first month of life. Between days 14 and 28, owls easily doubled in weight and their faces became flatter and more pronounced. Great Horned Owls are born at only 35 grams (1.2 oz) but reach 800 grams (28 oz) in just 1 month or so!

The thick, fluffy down begins to give way to more typical adult feathers, but the down will remain for at least 2 months. Juvenile owls are likely to leave the nest before losing all their baby feathers, but may become like adults after about 14 weeks.

What is the name of the little owl?

Young owls, as they are often called owls, are in their fluffy state and have not yet grown feathers or adult feathers.

Extremely rare capture of some newly hatched long-eared owls

What is a group of little owls called?

Seeing a flock of owls (Parliament or Congress) is rare enough, but seeing a flock of baby owls in the wild is extremely rare.

Owls usually lay small litters, usually only 4 to 6 eggs, but some species lay 1 to 3 and 10 to 12 eggs depending on the season. In general, owl secret nests contain only a small number of chicks, and owl chicks only spend 1 to 3 months in the nest before fledging and becoming independent. That’s why you’re less likely to see baby owls together, even from the same nest.

Three little owl owls in tree nest

Will the little owls gather together?

Owls of different mating owl couples are less likely to congregate. Indeed, owls are primarily solitary, tending to isolate themselves in monogamous pairs.

Some species, such as burrowing owls and tawny owls, do congregate and live in small flocks at least some times of the year, in which case the owls may spend some time mingling outside of the family unit. Generally, baby owls are highly independent after leaving the nest at around 12 weeks at the most.

What do little owls eat?

Owls are almost exclusively carnivorous, meaning they only eat meat. Larger owls primarily eat mammals, reptiles, birds, and fish, while smaller owls are more likely to prey on insects, arthropods, and small rodents.

Baby owls eat whatever their parents feed them. They tear food into small pieces that the owl can swallow whole.

A barred owl feeding their young

How did the little owl learn to hunt?

Little owls receive little instruction or guidance about hunting and hunt by instinct alone. After leaving the nest, the juvenile owl will have to find itself.

What do owl eggs look like?

Owl eggs are usually all white and have no particularly distinctive identifying features. Some owl species lay smoother, shinier eggs than others, such as the tawny owl.

tawny owl eggs

How long does it take for an owl egg to hatch?

Many owl eggs tend to hatch within 30 to 35 days. For example, the eggs of snowy owls, little owls and barn owls all take 31 to 33 days to hatch. Horned owl eggs can take about 35 days to hatch. Thirty-two days seems to be a reasonable average for all owl species. This is also average for all Raptors.

When Do Owls Lay Eggs?

Owls usually lay their eggs in the spring, usually no earlier than March. Some owl species, such as the rare Blakiston fish owl, don’t lay eggs every year — they may skip a year entirely if the winter is particularly harsh and they can’t hunt enough.

Other species, such as the great horned owl and barred owl, are known to lay their eggs very early in the year, sometimes even in mid-winter in January and February. These eggs hatch at very low temperatures — owls can successfully incubate eggs in outdoor temperatures of about -35°F (-37°C).

If food is scarce, females may hunt with males, leaving their eggs unattended in freezing temperatures.

great horned owl family

How do owls feed their chicks?

During the first few weeks of an owl’s life, the male usually acts as a hunter, providing food for both the female and the owl. The female will tear these foods into small pieces, which the chicks can swallow whole. Owls grow at an amazing rate and are soon able to eat the same food as their parents.

The older chicks are usually fed first, as they are the largest and strongest in the nest, and may even starve the youngest, newest chicks if food is scarce.

A barn owl feeds a young owl a mouse

When can a little owl fly?

Certain species of owls, such as the screech owl, can be ready to fly in a little over 1 month, but others, such as the great horned owl, can take up to 2.5 months. Like many birds of prey, owls are “born ready” and rapidly developing, developing flight and hunting skills by instinct rather than by observing their parents. Owls are unique in how quickly chicks separate from their parents.

When do baby owls leave the nest?

Young owls leave their nests relatively quickly compared to other birds, some leaving their nests in as little as four weeks or so. Other owl species stay in the nest longer, such as barn owls, which may stay with their parents for up to ten weeks. It’s still a quick transition compared to other birds that often stay with their parents, at least for the rest of spring and summer.

A family of barn owls

Do owls reuse nests?

Owl nests are often too poor to be reused – they are not known for their nesting abilities!

Conversely, owls tend to be opportunistic nesters, jumping at the opportunity to build a nest wherever it is safe enough. They avoid nesting altogether if they can, opting instead to nest in tree hollows or abandoned buildings. They are also adept at stealing other birds’ nesting grounds.

How long do baby owls stay with their parents?

Baby owls don’t stay with their parents very long at all, sometimes as little as a month. This is relatively common among birds of prey, which quickly break away from their parents to establish their own territory before the next winter.

A young spotted owl sleeping on a branch

Do owls abandon their babies?

Despite the seemingly quick transition from owl to owl, owl parents are very devoted to their chicks. They do not abandon them if they are handled by humans, nor do they give up easily if other predators visit the nest.

Why does the little owl keep its head down when it sleeps?

Some young owls have been observed sleeping in a somewhat collapsed position with their heads on the floor. This is because their heads are so big and heavy – they can barely support them for the first few days of life!