There’s no denying that owls are perhaps the cutest bird of prey to exist. Their round-eyed, no-necked appearance makes them look more like fluffy marshmallows than something capable of catching live prey as big as hares and even young foxes.
Of course, an owl hunting is just an example of nature doing its thing, but owls are much cuter when they’re doing more mundane things – like taking a bath, for instance.
One person managed to film not one but four owls stopping for a dip in a birdbath. Even sweeter, these owls are all fledglings, and can’t be more than a few months old.
In the video, with the background sounds of wind, running water and a wind chime, a baby screech owl has come to rest at the edge of a large bird bath.
He’s on alert, and pulls off the impressive owl trick of swivelling his head 180 degrees to look for his brothers and sisters.
A moment later, they arrive.
Now that he has family members to watch his back, the first owl jumps into the water and takes a drink. According to the YouTube caption, the video was filmed after a day of 105-degree temperatures in Texas, so it’s likely that the little ones were feeling very thirsty.
After watching his brother for a while, a second owl dips his beak into the water too. While he’s drinking, a fourth fledgling shows up to share the moment.
Screech owls are known for their large, yellow eyes and prominent ear tufts. They’re nocturnal, so these owl fledglings will have gathered for their “morning” bath before getting on with the night’s business.
These birds tend to catch their prey all within their first one or two hours after waking. Their preferred foods range from large insects and spiders to reptiles, amphibians, and even bats and scorpions.
You tend to hear screech owls more than you see them, owing to their communicative sounds that give them their name. This video is particularly special to have caught four screech owls hanging out in what looks like a relatively suburban area.
As the fourth owl takes a dip, one of the owls decides he’s had enough and disappears into the evening. But it’s not long before he returns – or perhaps it’s a different owl, as we see the wings of yet another bird flap low over the scene that he joins.
It’s a very calming, relaxing sight. The babies take their time in the water, clearly loving the cool sensation on their underbodies. The backing sounds are almost soothing enough to send you into a doze, with one person commenting:
“I’m downloading this video as white noise to help me sleep. It has everything I need! Chimes wind and animals!”
Another commenter agreed, adding:
“This is perhaps one of the best videos I have seen on here. It’s quite the zen moment with the wind and the chimes, they are gorgeous fledglings, still young enough to hang around together before they go their separate ways, what a moment you captured!!!”
Owls need to take a bath every so often to clean their feathers. They usually flap their wings to splash water all over their bodies, then preen themselves and take flight to dry off.
When his brothers and sister have had enough, the final baby owl has a proper wash, ruffling his wings and even dipping his head in the water. Then, when he’s nice and hydrated, he takes off after his family and leaves the bird bath empty once more.
The fact that this video has been viewed over half a million times shows that the simple things in life are often the most beautiful. Something as small as watching four owl babies take a bath can have a hugely positive impact on mental wellbeing.
Scroll down to enjoy the soothing video just below.
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