From Hillary Hankey

Owls like Nelson the white faced owl made an evolutionary trade off to hunt the way they do. They have soft, velvety feathers with specialized edges for silent flight so they can ambush their prey. However, as you can see in Nelson’s showering, they are not particularly waterproofed, and lose their shape quickly when wet!

This does not dissuade any of owls from take a shower or bath, and they really enjoy a good dousing. It’s a bit of a reward for the staff as well to have a moment with the bird watching them enjoy our company.

Had to squish down the file a good bit to get it small enough to upload. If you want to see it in MP4, I uploaded it to my Owl Stuff Vimeo.

I’ve never bathed an owl yet, but on the 90+ degree (32C) days, I’d see how the hawks would react when I’m spraying out their flight pens, and some seemed to enjoy a quick spritz or two.