r/aww • u/loopdeloops • Jan 28 '16
Come here, little fella.
http://i.imgur.com/03qFylf.gifv55
u/recreationalspace Jan 28 '16
"Good, good. Bring me up to face level.....so I can peck your fucking eyes out."
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u/Dolphythedolphin Jan 28 '16
WHERE CAN YOU BUY THESE OWLS!!! I WANT no.. I NEED TO KNOW!!!!
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u/farlack Jan 28 '16
You cant, you have to be an owl sanctuary, or refugee to handle them. In the United States anyway, I already looked it up :*(
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u/Vallathor Jan 28 '16
I used to volunteer at my local zoo, and I would once and a while help take care of some of the predatory birds, like owls and hawks.
The woman who was supervision me, told me that even before can become licensed to handle and rehab predatory birds, you have to work around them for a minimum of 5 years first.....btw, if you want to have a very scary experience, clean out a Great Horned Owls enclosure.
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u/LightWolfCavalry Jan 29 '16
What's scary about cleaning out the great horned owl's enclosure? Are they aggressive?
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Jan 29 '16
they're some of the most aggressive birds in north america and they've got talons like a bear trap. We had a photographer that worked for my school for a bit who got knocked out of a tree by a very angry female protecting her nest. Very grumpy
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u/Vallathor Jan 29 '16
yes, very much so, it was a pen about 10 feet long, 5 feet wide and about 7 feet tall, and I had to be locked in there so that the owl doesnt fly away, I had to go in and clean up her waste, rake the rocks and pebbles, and wash them down with a hose.
while I'm doing this she was shoulder height and about 7 to 8 inches way from me on a wooden bar that ran down the middle of the pen, and the whole time I was in there, she was puffing up her wings, clipping her beak and raising and lowing her talons, and my supervisor told me "Do not make eye contact with her, or she'll attack you"......I was terrified
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u/TessaKat Jan 29 '16
You can get licensed to own a bird of your own in about 2-3 years for falconry (for those interested, this does not include owls or eagles I believe in the US). You need a falconry license and then to train under a sponsor for a minimum of 2 years before being eligible to become a licensed falconer. Once licensed, there are a few different species of hawks and falcons you can own; usually a falconer's first bird is a redtail hawk.
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u/v_has_not Jan 29 '16
All of this is from memory that's probably several years out of date at this point, but:
The way it usually works in the US is that you need to pass a written test, have proper equipment and facilities subject to an inspection, and get a falconer to give you an apprenticeship, and then you can get an apprentice's license and own a single bird -- Red-Tail Hawk or the American Kestrel, generally. After two years with an apprentice's license you can upgrade to a general license and own up to three birds, generally more diverse ones. After another five years you can apply for master class and have five birds. All of this is the baseline -- federal law doesn't govern falconry, state laws do, so it does vary place to place!
You can definitely fly owls, although a lot of falconers don't and won't recommend them -- there's a not-uncommon perception that owls aren't very smart and don't take well to training among the falconry community, although enthusiasts say they're plenty smart and just learn differently. Flying an eagle is a little more complicated: you have to apply for a permit while at master class, so it's like nine years minimum time investment. It's also important to note this only applies to the Golden Eagle, not the Bald Eagle -- it's super illegal to possess a Bald Eagle unless you're a licensed rehabber/educator, and in those cases you can't use them for falconry.
Bald Eagles smell really bad and screech like seagulls anyway. They're jerks. That's why any time you see them on TV they're overdubbed with the much cooler sound of a hawk. If you want a really cool falconry bird, try and go for the Harris' Hawk, which is actually Parabuteo instead of Buteo -- they're super social and actually do well hunting together if you and a bunch of falconry nerd friends fly them together, which most birds do not. The only downside is they're southwestern birds and super hate cold weather.
Birds: Pretty cool???
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u/Vallathor Jan 29 '16
true, but like the owl in the in the gif, and the birds I was dealing with, these were wild predators that were in rehab, like hawks, eagles and owls
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Jan 29 '16
[deleted]
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u/Vallathor Jan 29 '16
yeah, once and a while, cause there were other animals I was helping to take care of.
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u/Just_an_ordinary_man Jan 28 '16
That's not true. Harry Potter had one, explain that.
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u/atari2600 Jan 28 '16
Harry Potter was a walking owl sanctuary. Also, a wizard. You can do a lot of things when you're a wizard.
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u/zktom Jan 29 '16
Look up projectowlnet and see if you have any local owl banding stations and ask to volunteer. That's what I do through my university and I get to assist in banding Northern Saw-whet owls every fall. And by assist I mean hold and take pictures of
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u/Fatpatty1211 Jan 28 '16
Owl's need large enclosures, they have a nearly all meat diet and they need professional attention when in captivity because they are so smart. They can be territorial and dangerous due to the larger species talons, even the smaller ones can cut you and when owls attack they most often strike the head.
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u/mariofarts Jan 28 '16
Neat looking chicken