Barred Owls Hatch Two Fuzzy Owlets In 2025

After a month-long incubation period, the parents from the Wild Birds Unlimited Barred Owl Cam have welcomed a pair hatchling owlets in 2025! The eldest owlet spent more than 24 hours working its way out of the egg before finally hatching on the evening of April 6 on day 32 of incubation. The younger owlet wasn’t far behind, hatching on the evening of April 7 after 30 days in the egg. The adults are now fully focused on raising this duo of down-covered hatchlings into fully fledged birds of prey over the next 4–5 weeks. Watch live.

Stocking the Pantry

The male has been hard at work hunting to keep his mate and hungry owlets well-fed! As hatching approached, he was busy fishing in nearby streams for crayfish and fish. In one particularly active night, he delivered three fish to the female, who swallowed each one whole. Now that the owlets have arrived, the parents have been busy filling the nest box with fresh prey—including an impressive stockpile of four birds in a single night—to ensure their growing owlets are never short on food.

Looking ahead

Newly hatched owlets are tiny and helpless with closed eyes, but they grow quickly. For now, the female will focus on brooding and feeding the chicks while the male supplies food. In just two weeks, the owlets will be old enough to spend time alone in the nest box, allowing the female to resume hunting alongside the male.

As the nestling period progresses, the owlets will gradually replace their fluffy down with juvenile feathers and begin feeding on their own. Their activity levels will increase, and we might catch them tussling over food deliveries or perching at the nest box entrance, contemplating life in the forest canopy.

Follow along with us over the next month as the Barred Owls navigate the nestling period and prepare their young for the world beyond the nest.