Great Horned Owlet

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Great Horned Owlet
Great Horned Owlet

Each package comprises a personalized certificate with the recipient's name, an 8 x 10 photo, and qualifies for a tax receipt.

Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)

Date of admission: April, 2026.

Patient History:

In 1977, Alberta’s schoolchildren chose the Great Horned Owl as the province’s official bird, a fitting title for one of Alberta’s most iconic and powerful raptors. Recognizable by their feather “horns,” these owls are year-round residents, thriving in wooded areas, river valleys, and rural landscapes across the province.

Powerful hunters with remarkable hearing and night vision, great horned owls begin nesting early, often laying eggs in late winter. By spring, hungry owlets are emerging, and it is during this vulnerable stage that many young birds arrive at AIWC needing help. This season, AIWC is caring for two young owlets we hope to successfully foster into a wild surrogate family. Returning them to their original nest is unfortunately not possible, as the nest was destroyed and the surrounding area is no longer suitable. Instead, with help from a professional bird bander, we have identified an active nest where these owlets may be introduced to foster parents with chicks of a similar age. Remarkably, great horned owl parents will often accept foster young as their own. Following placement, the nest will be closely monitored to help ensure the owlets are accepted and continue growing wild.

This kind of intervention reflects the specialized care wildlife rehabilitation can provide beyond treatment alone, supporting innovative solutions that keep young wildlife where they belong: in the wild.

Great horned owls are also among AIWC’s most common raptor patients. In 2025, we admitted 40 great horned owls, and already several more have arrived this spring. Your sponsorship supports not only these two owlets, but future great horned owls needing rescue, rehabilitation, re-nesting, or foster placement.

Your sponsorship helps provide specialized care, medical support, foster and release planning, and life-saving rehabilitation for Alberta’s wild owls, giving young owls the best chance to return home to the skies.

Please note:

  • For digital sponsorships, our online store automatically fulfills orders using the information provided. The recipient will be copied directly on the email and certificate, so please double-check all names and email addresses for accuracy before completing your order. Tax receipts will be issued in the purchaser’s name (based on billing details), not the recipient’s.
  • A $5.00 fee will be automatically added at checkout for physical mail-outs to cover printing and shipping. If recipient information is not provided, the certificate will be sent to the email or mailing address entered in the customer’s billing information.