Animal dads don’t often get much attention, but they’ve got a very important part to play in family life. I’ve got to know some brilliant characters, and this video looks at their different styles of parenting.

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00:00 Intro
00:20 Finn, Male Barn Owl
01:44 Ozzy, Male Tawny Owl
03:34 Apollo, Male Kestrel
04:16 Ghost, Male Barn Owl
04:37 Mr Kes, Male Kestrel
05:41 Bomber, Male Tawny Owl
06:27 Outro

FINN – MALE BARN OWL

First up is male barn owl, Finn, who’s such a funny character and a really caring dad. He’s always close by as Gylfie broods and it’s magic to watch as he preens her, and their tiny chick! He’s such a trooper, too, working hard to bring in food around the clock, and this is no easy task with tawny owls chasing him down.

OZZY – MALE TAWNY OWL

Tawny owl Ozzy really surprised me with his parenting efforts. This year I watched him brooding his chicks. This is absolutely fascinating; I’ve never heard of male tawny owls brooding their chicks it could the first time this behaviour’s been recorded! Ozzy’s an expert hunter too. His speciality is rats and even if it takes a few attempts, he gets there in the end!

APOLLO – MALE KESTREL

Male kestrel Apollo has been a great character to follow. It’s great to see him meet his new chick for the first time and brood them. As the chicks grow, he’s always on hand with a bite to eat.

GHOST – MALE BARN OWL

With his first brood he was rarely around for the chicks and rarely by Willow’s side. But this year he’s stepped up his game, providing plenty of food for the whole family.

MR KES – MALE KESTREL

This year, male kestrel Mr Kes has proved what a great dad he is.
When his mate disappeared, he had to take on the roles of both parents. He had to brood the chicks himself, bring in food and feed them and now that his chicks have fledged he continues to feed them on the feeding post.

BOMBER – MALE TAWNY OWL

This year, Bomber and Luna’s eggs failed to hatch, which was so sad for both of them. But Bomber’s a natural parent, and readily took on 6 adopted chicks that I introduced into the nest. He works so hard to bring in food, and he’s so gentle with the owlets, too! And now that the owlets have fledged he is still close by, looking after all six of his adopted young.

TIME TO CHOOSE

Hope you’ve enjoyed watching these amazing animal dads.
Now it’s over to you to decide… leave a comment below with your favourite!


I am a British wildlife artist based in Thixendale, North Yorkshire, UK. I build ideal habitats to encourage wildlife into my garden and use nest cams to study their behaviour. These studies inform my paintings. I share the best of my video research on this channel for free. If you would like to support my work please consider a small donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s...'>https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s...

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© Robert E Fuller

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