New baby owl joins the International Owl Center

HOUSTON, Minn. (KTTC) – A 7-week-old Burrowing Owl named Bea has joined the staff of education owls at the International Owl Center in Houston, Minnesota.

According to the International Owl Center, Bea joined the center’s four existing education ambassadors: JR the Eastern Screech-Owl, Piper the American Barn Owl, Ruby the Great Horned Owl, and Uhu the Eurasian Eagle Owl after she completed a week of quarantine. It has been four years since the center added a new owl to its staff.

The center said Burrowing Owls are Minnesota’s only endangered owl species, so special permitting was required from the DNR to obtain Bea in addition to the regular federal permits.

Bea’s parents are non-releasable wild owls from Kansas who were bred in captivity to provide young owls to use in education. Young owls adapt to changes and humans far better than adults, which is why the center specifically wanted a young hand-reared owlet for its next ambassador owl.

Bea began work at the International Owl Center on Friday, July 1.

The center said Bea only weighs about three ounces, but she is a big hit. She pounces on toys, sleeps standing on one leg or face-planted on the bottom of her little enclosure, cranks her head sideways and upside down, eats throughout the day and loves to watch visitors.

The public can meet Bea during regular open hours: Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

More information on Bea and the International Owl Center can be found here.