Hikers Spot Owl Swimming Through a Canyon – An Extremely Rare Sight

Hikers walking through a canyon in Lake Powell between Arizona and Utah stumbled upon a rare sight. A swimming owl.

Owls aren’t known for swimming, so the hikers were shocked when they saw one doing just that.

According to National Geographic, when owls swim, it’s never by choice. Their feathers aren’t waterproof, and they can’t defend themselves or take off from the water. They need to find land and dry their feathers before they can fly again. This means the little owl was probably fighting for its life when the hikers found it.

Geoff LeBaron from the National Audubon Society told National Geographic that the swimming owl in the video is likely a young great horned owl just starting to explore. “I suspect it actually fell out of the nest,” said LeBaron. “Great horned [owls] do nest on ledges on cliffs.”

“This bird is young enough that its parents were probably still caring for it, so hopefully, once the hikers passed by, the bird dried off and its parents found it,” LeBaron added.

Let’s hope everything turned out well for this little critter.