Owl Finds Duck Egg In Its Nest
According to The Wild Child, an eastern screech owl was reported to have mistaken an egg from a wood duck to be its own and when it hatched the owl raised it.
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How Did This Happen?
This happened in Jupiter, Florida in Laurie Wolf’s back yard, a wildlife photographer who built a bird nesting box on her patio. She told National Geographic when the birdbox was setup she noticed an owl was the first one to claim the nest as its home. However, after a month passed by she witnessed an unimaginable sight, a baby duck poking its head out of the nest with the owl.
“The two of them were just sitting there side by side. It’s not believable. It’s not believable to me to this day.” Laurie told National Geographic.
The only thing anybody could think of is a wood duck must have taken up refuge in the nest first, laid the egg and abandoned it. National Geographic says that wood ducks have been scientifically recorded to live with eastern screech owls before in the past and it’s not uncommon.
Laurie Tries To Save The Baby Duck
Laurie not knowing this, she was worried that the owl would eventually come to its senses and eat the duck. She quickly contacted a bird expert who told her that her hunch might be right. She was giving the okay to remove the duck and care for it if she wanted to.
As she and her husband went out to the birdbox to save the little fella, it jumped from the nest and sprinted towards a nearby pond and she never saw it again.
“I don’t think I’ll ever experience anything like that in my life again,” Laurie said, according to National Geographic.