This baby great horned owl has just left the nest moments before this video.
The earliest nesters of the owl world, they are also the second largest of the North American owls.
The snowy owl is larger, but not as heavy.A powerful bird with incredible grip strength and razor sharp talons, the great horned owl is a formidable hunter, taking down rabbits, large birds, and even other owls.
No small mammal is immune to the skill and power of the great horned owl.This baby was born in February during the cold winter months in a Canadian climate.
But a nurturing and protective mother kept him warm and safe throughout the sub zero temperatures.
He has not strayed from his nest until this morning.
He dropped from the branch beside his nest with a clumsy and awkward flapping that brought him gently to the forest floor.Mother and her baby spent the morning hopping around in the underbrush.
She left only briefly but came back with a small rabbit that she shared with him.
He cannot catch his own food yet but she will supply him with all that he needs as his feathers rapidly develop.The owlet will need to get to higher branches quickly to avoid predators.
His flight feathers have grown but they are just losing the coating that prevents him from using them.
This process occurs rapidly once the baby has left the nest.
He will work his way higher into the trees and he will learn to fly and to hunt form his highly skilled teacher.The mother owl will care for her baby for many months as he develops physically.
He will soon be the capable hunter that he needs to be.
Here, he is seen trying to work his way along a branch in the most adorably clumsy fashion.
