Following the introduction of Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, the first child of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Warwick Castle (www.warwick-castle.com) has named its newly hatched baby barn owl in his honour.
With sweet little heart-shaped faces and big beautiful eyes, Archie the tiny barn owl and baby Archie have more in common than you might think – including star parents.
Whilst one boasts a high profile actress and a rebellious royal for parents, Archie the new barn owl is the offspring of two of the stars of Warwick Castle’s show The Falconer’s Quest, an aerial acrobatic theatre performance and the UK’s largest bird of prey show, featuring around 70 different birds.
As Chris O’Donnell, head falconer at Warwick Castle, says: “Whether either of the new arrivals will follow in their mother’s footsteps (or flight paths) remains to be seen, but we are certainly hoping Archie will find his wings at Warwick Castle and become one of the feathered stars of the show!”
Previously voted Britain’s favourite farmland bird, barn owls were once Britain’s most common owl species but are now a rare sight.
Well-known for their sweet heart-shaped faces, and beautiful white and golden plumage, barn owl pairs are declining in the UK and so helping to protect this stunning species is an important part of the conservation work that takes place at Warwick Castle.
As well as displaying how majestic birds of prey are in The Falconer’s Quest and educating people on their history in the UK, Warwick Castle also tries to encourage wild birds to enjoy the 64 acres of grounds at the Castle by putting up bird boxes for breeding pairs and making the grounds barn owl ready.
Head falconer at Warwick Castle, Chris O’Donnell breeds birds of prey that are rare and under threat. “It’s really important we support birds like the barn owl as they are an important part of the ecosystem and such a joy to catch a glimpse of in the wild. Archie is such a friendly and sociable little chick just like his mother, so we’re hoping he will have the right personality to be a part of the UK’s largest birds of prey show and show the public what barn owls are all about!
“When we created The Falconer’s Quest we wanted to show people how beautiful and vital birds of prey are, and to instill in everyone who sees it an appreciation of why they need to be protected. We hope that our new baby barn owl will do just that.”
One thing is for sure, once little Archie is able to fly he will be Prince of the Castle, with a bird’s eye view over his dominion – much like royal baby Archie!
5 facts about Barn Owls
- Barn Owls mate for life, and use the same nest site to raise young every year.
- Barn Owls usually don’t live past 10 years in the wild, but captive birds can live up to 25 years!
- Though mostly nocturnal predators, you can sometimes glimpse these silent birds early in the morning or around sunset.
- Barn Owls make almost no noise when they fly – this helps them catch prey unawares.
- Though owls are famous for hooting, Barn Owls don’t – instead they screech or scream!