A hand-reared African barn owl chick (Tyto alba). This chick was the last remaining bird of a clutch as its siblings had been victims of cainism by an
A hand-reared African barn owl chick (Tyto alba). This chick was the last remaining bird of a clutch as its siblings had been victims of cainism by an older chick. Cainism in ornithology describes the killing of a younger or weaker sibling by an older or stronger bird. Barn owl chicks are relatively slow to develop. On average they take 8 weeks to fledge (develop full flight feathers) and remain dependent on their parents for a further 3 to 5 weeks. They prey on small animals, mainly rodents. They hunt at night and can find their prey by sound alone. Barn owls are geographically widespread, being found on 5 continents. Photographed at the REST (The Rare and Endangered Species Trust) sanctuary near Outjo in Namibia.
Size: 3464px × 5045px
Photo credit: © TONY CAMACHO/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: africa, african, alba, animal, baby, barn, bird, cainism, carnivore, carnivorous, chick, fauna, fledgling, hand-reared, human, infant, intervention, juvenile, namibia, namibian, nature, ornithological, ornithology, owl, predator, predatory, rest, southern, tyto, wildlife, young, zoological, zoology
