Chicks of polar owls were born at the Moscow Zoo
Four chicks of snowy owls were born at the Moscow Zoo. This species is listed in the International Red Book and belongs to the “vulnerable” category, according to “Moscow 24”.
According to experts, the natural population of these birds is about 20 thousand individuals, but from year to year it is decreasing. In their natural habitat, white owls nest on hills and coastal ledges.
The general director of the zoo, Svetlana Akulova, said that the mating season for white (polar) owls takes place in winter.
“In February, a pair of our owls began courtship: the male treated his friend with delicacies, flew around, flapping his wings loudly, and walked alongside him, ruffled. In the spring, when the snow melted, the owls dug a hole in the ground for a nest, ”Akulova pointed out.
She added that the couple had their second offspring. Initial examination by veterinarians showed that all four chicks were healthy. Now they are covered with baby gray down. Soon they will begin to molt, and by winter they will have white plumage with dark spots.
Recall that at the end of July in the Center for the reproduction of rare species of animals of the Moscow Zoo, located near Volokolamsk (Moscow region), chicks of a rare large bustard hatched.
