Floof alert: Snowy owl chicks hatch at Woodland Park Zoo

Snowy owl owlets haven’t hatched at the Woodland Park Zoo for nine years. Now, the Seattle zoo has a pair of teeny owlets in its midst.

The timing couldn’t be better for the Arctic-dwelling birds.

“Who says it can’t be snowy in August,” the zoo tweeted on Aug. 5.

They aren’t so white now, but the owlets will lose their greyish down. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo

Their mother, June and dad, Dusty, are first-time parents.

So far, they are doing a great job.

June, mother of the snowy owl chicks. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo

“Mom sits on the nest most of the time, a sign of good maternal care. The owlets are beginning to venture outside the nest, so visitors may have the chance to see them on the ground,” Kevin Murphy, an animal curator at the zoo said in a statement.

The parents were paired as part of a species survival plan as the population of snowy owls in their natural habitat is decreasing leaving the species vulnerable. 

Habitat loss, hunting, accidental poisoning, and climate change are all contributing to their decline.

Male snowy owls have fewer flecks of brown in their feathers. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo

The owlets are already starting to venture out of their nest.

Visitors can view the family in the Northern Trail habitat.

Welcome to the world, wide-eyed owlet. Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo

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