Buddy arrived at our facility as a very young chick. Unfortunately, she didn’t develop the necessary behaviors to care for herself in the wild. Despite this, she has been an amazing ambassador for her species and periodically serves as a foster mom when we have young great horned owl chicks come into the clinic!
Buddy was presumed to be male for many years due to her small size, but she eventually began laying eggs. Similar to chickens, great horned owls are capable of laying unfertilized eggs, which Buddy now does every year at the end of the winter.
When not guarding her nest she loves to go out with her handlers and meet people. If you visit in the late afternoon you can often hear her making the classic whoo-hooing call that owls are know for.