Great Horned Owl kills barn owl owlet on North Carolina Wildlife Live Cam

There is some sad news from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission’s popular Barn Owl Live Cam.

Wildlife officials say a Great Horned Owl entered the barn Wednesday around midnight and killed one of the barn owl owlets. Biologists have not been able to determine which owlet was lost.

They have confirmed it was one of the three youngest birds in the nest. The Wildlife Commission says the incident is heartbreaking but also a natural part of life in the wild.

Great Horned Owls are one of the main predators of Barn Owls, and encounters between the two species do happen. The attack was captured on the live camera.

Officials say the video also shows an extremely rare moment when the adult female Barn Owl fought the Great Horned Owl on top of the nest box. Despite the loss, the surviving owlets are expected to continue growing over the coming weeks.

They will lose their fluffy down feathers, begin exploring outside the barn, and continue developing hunting skills.

The Wildlife Commission says some of the young owls could leave the nest as early as July.

After leaving the nest, they usually travel alone and may eventually move hundreds of miles from where they hatched. The Barn Owl Live Cam remains available for the public to watch.