Animal Diaries Archive

Nuebi joins Bird of Prey show

23 July 2007

Nuebi the Barking Owl has made his debut this week at the daily Birds Of Prey Show. After completing his training with flying colours, he is wowing the crowd with his flights outside the Birds Of Prey aviary.

Barking Owls have small barbs on the end of their feathers which muffle any turbulence created during flight so this enables Nuebi to silently fly and creep up on his chosen prey item before they can sense him coming. Although we don't use live prey, it's amazing to watch Nuebi target his food item and capture it with accuracy and craftiness.

Owls in general have amazing eyesight, especially Barking Owls which hunt during the daytime as well as at night, so you can imagine that it takes a lot of concentration for Nuebi to focus on his handlers and routine when there is so many distractions around him such as crowds of people and the other birds flying in the aviary next to him. The bird show team are extremely proud of him and we know he is well on his way to becoming a big star.

So next time your at Australia Zoo, make sure you check out the Birds Of Prey Show at 3:30pm where you'll see Archer the Whistling Kite, the gorgeous Blue Winged Kookaburra's, Tina the Wedge Tailed Eagle and Tussock the Grass Owl, but best of all you'll get to see 'our' Nuebi doing his thing!!