Iris is expected to lay eggs any time now!

From their Facebook:

May I present the SUPERB OWL EGG, laid by Iris the Great Horned Owl at about 3:18 PM Central time today, Superb Owl Sunday.

Iris laid her 2nd egg tonight at 7:10 pm

Too funny! LOL


Published by EmmieJanJan

I'm so behind on Rusty & Iris! The owlets hatched March 8th and 10th. I'm going to try to catch this thread up with videos and then I'll go stand in the corner.

Published on Mar 7, 2014 by International Owl Center
The owlet is still in the egg but has punctured its way into the air sac at the end of the egg. It can now vocalize and is working on hatching. In this video the eggs parents, Rusty and Iris, are off hooting with Victor, a resident wild owl, and Alice, an education owl housed nearby. The owlet in the egg seems to be adding its two cents to the conversation.


Published on Mar 8, 2014
Rusty and Iris, a pair of non-releasable Great Horned Owls that live in a large aviary as part of a vocal study on their species, hatched their first owlet of 2014 during the International Festival of Owls (a hatch-day party for Alice the Great Horned Owl, www.festivalofowls.com). This is the first view of the owlet, already dry and fluffy. The first pip in the egg was noticed the day before. Watch the live video feed of Rusty and Iris at www.internationalowlcenter.org.


Published on Mar 10, 2014
Iris kindly removed herself from the nest so we could see the second owlet emerging from the egg! Just 1.5 hours previous to this the egg just had a single pip hole in it, so this owlet made quick work of breaking out of the shell.


Published on Mar 10, 2014
The second owlet just hatched today. Iris took a brief break from the nest and Rusty came over to have a look. Iris hurried back to the nest, but didn't chase him off.


Published on Mar 12, 2014
Iris the Great Horned Owl feeds her owlets, 2 and 4 days old.

Published on Apr 28, 2014 by the International Owl Center

Ruby and Rupert were hatched in captivity as part of a vocal study being conducted on Great Horned Owls by the International Owl Center. They have been hand-reared from two weeks of age with lots of human socialization so they will be very comfortable educational ambassadors for their species.

Here, as fledglings, they are being moved into a flight pen, learning to step up onto the glove, and learning to wear anklets for the first time.

Published on Jun 30, 2014

Even owlet siblings pester each other. Here big sister Ruby is picking on her little brother Rupert. They are part of a captive breeding project to study the vocalizations of the Great Horned Owl by the International Owl Center. Their parents only have vision in one eye each and are non-releasable. Ruby and Rupert are being raised to become educational ambassadors for their species. All these owls are held through permits from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Published on Nov 25, 2014 by International Owl Center

Ruby and Rupert the Great Horned Owls are part of a vocal study on their species. They were bred in captivity and are being raised to be educational ambassadors by the International Owl Center. This morning they got new toys to play with. They first investigate from a safe distance but soon Ruby is ready to go and have a closer look.