SEATTLE — Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo has a new resident: a milky eagle owl named Jibini (ji-BEAN-ee)
Also known as a Verreaux eagle owl, Jibini is the first of his species at the zoo.
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Zoo officials said Jibini is one of the largest owls in the world. His name means “cheese” in Swahili – one of the languages spoken in sub-Saharan Africa where the owl is a native species.
Jibini arrived in Seattle as an egg from Zoo Atlanta and hatched Jan. 28. He was smaller than a tennis ball when he was born.
While zoo officials said the milky eagle owl is not endangered, but it needs large territories and is threatened by habitat loss.
Jibini is full grown at 3.7 pounds, officials said, and has a wingspan of nearly 5 feet. When he was born, he weighed less than 2 ounces.
Officials said Jibini lives in a spacious flight pen at the zoo’s Raptor Barn. Jibini will continue to learn how to become an ambassador animal, meeting and greeting people in the coming months.
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