A juvenile Ruru / Morepork still has his baby fluff - thin wisps of white feathers around his head that make him look like an old man. His eyes are wide, yellow, and lacking any thought behind them. Some darker markings above look like raised eyebrows, as if he's especially shocked by the featherless bipeds around him. He's wrapped in a blue tea towel, held to the chest of Judy the rehabilitator behind.

Pictured is a Morepork / Ruru being cared for by Judy Fentress. This one is very young and still has his baby fluff.

The same photo cropped and enlarged to the baby Ruru's fuzzy face.

Judy is featured in our 3-part series of posts (see Part 1 and Part 3), celebrating her years of dedication to New Zealand native birds in the Waikato region.


xo owlsintowels

💛🦉


SpeciesCommon NameMore info
Ninox novaeseelandiaeMoreporkWiki link