Longleat owlets

A pair of tiny hand-reared baby burrowing owls have taken to using teacups to roost in during the day. The owlets, nicknamed Linford and Christie as they were born in the year of the London Olympics, are being cared for by keeper Jimmy Robinson.

Linford and Christie were both hatched in an incubator and have had to be hand reared by Jimmy, who says:

“Basically I have had to have them with me 24 hours a day every day and that means taking them home with me in the evening and getting up in the middle of the night to feed them. Found throughout the Americas, the burrowing owl is so named because itlives in underground burrows that have been dug out by small mammals such asprairie dogs and ground squirrels. Unlike most owls they are active during the day. As I spend so much time with them they do look at me as their surrogate mum and will follow me around the house or sit on my shoulder. They also enjoy the security of sitting inside their teacups and like to find small spaces on my bookshelf and in between my DVD collection to snuggle up into."

The owls were hatched at the Hawk Conservancy Trust in Andover back in February and are now just over six weeks old.

Linford and Christie will join a variety of birds of prey including vultures, eagles, hawks, kites, owls and falcons in the Hunters of the Sky attraction at Longleat.

Photos courtesy of BNPS