The first Tawny Frogmouth chick of the year hatched last weekend at SeaWorld Orlando.
The chick hatched on Jan. 10 and currently weighs under an ounce, the equivalent of eight pennies. It will grow to weigh as much as 21 ounces, the weight of a basketball.
The SeaWorld Orlando Aviculture Team is hand-raising the chick, which is a 24-hour job.
SeaWorld says the chick goes home nightly with an aviculturist, who provides scheduled feedings every three to four hours and monitors the chick closely throughout the night.
SeaWorld Orlando has one of the most successful Tawny Frogmouth breeding programs, and since the program started in 1993, 99 frogmouth chicks have hatched at the park. SeaWorld Orlando has partnered with several members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums dedicated to help the future success of the species.
Tawny Frogmouth Fun facts:
- Although they may look like owls, tawny frogmouths are far from it and are not a part of the same family
- Tawny frogmouths are native to Australia and have distinct markings that help them camouflage on a tree branch
- They have a behavior called “stumping” where they freeze, stand very tall and make their bodies very thin to simulate a tree branch. This behavior helps to camouflage them from predators in the wild