RANGE | Found in the tropical rainforests of southern Mexico and Trinidad, through Central America and south to southern Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina.

FUN FACTS | Spectacled owls are named for the white feathers around their eyes, which gives them the look of wearing glasses or spectacles. Fledglings first leave the nest at about 5–6 weeks, before they can fully fly, which may not be until they are a year old. During that time, they start hunting but remain dependent upon their parents until they can fly away to establish their own territories. In addition to the typical small mammals—including young kinkajous and sloths—they will also hunt for birds and bats, caterpillars and large insects, crabs and amphibians. Sadly, their numbers are decreasing due to habitat loss and deforestation.

Arabella was an unexpected hatch at a zoo. Her parents had been at this zoo for many years, each spring making a nest and laying an egg. When that year’s baby was approximately 9 months old, it would be transferred to another zoo. Since these birds are not social, there was a risk of becoming territorial or aggressive with each other. Eventually, the birds stopped laying eggs, and the zookeepers assumed they had outgrown their parenting years. An entire decade passed before, one day, Arabella arrived! She came to us in the fall of 2013, and helps teach people about the critical role of rainforests in our daily lives.

Arabella has something to say about everything! She is one of our most vocal birds. She clicks and squeaks and sometimes it even sounds like she is purring. She constantly surveys her surroundings with those huge yellow eyes, whether it is when she is out on a walk or at a presentation. That is, until she gets her head rubbed! She just melts as we massage her head, with her eyes closed in pure bliss.

She often enjoys heavy duty stuffed dog toys that she can grab with her strong feet, carry, drag around her enclosure, and manipulate with her beak. She will occasionally engage with puzzle feeders as well as toys and tubes that we hang in her enclosure. We would love to get a few trail cameras to set up near our nocturnal animals so we can watch as they play.