Falling for Luri: My Journey with Cute Owls
Growing up in Cornwall, I’ve always been the girl with her head in the clouds. While most 10-year-olds are looking at phones, I was looking for buzzards and Barn owls hunting in the evening light. I’ve helped my mum, Dr. Elizabeth, with our Red-Tailed Hawk, Chesney, for years, but I always wanted a bond of my own.
If you are still deciding which species to start with, we set our red-tailed hawk against our southern white-faced owl in a guide to the best first bird of prey.
Meet Luri. She isn't just one of those cute owls you see in books; she is a Southern White-Faced Owl from sub-Saharan Africa. Because I’ve been hand-rearing her since she was one of those tiny, fluffy owl babies, she actually thinks I’m her mum!
She even spends her afternoons "helping" us in the office at Noonvares Farm while I finish my schoolwork. Whether she's watching my pen move or practicing her first hops to my glove, she is a constant companion in my journey to becoming a falconer.
The Training Compendium
The Species Showdown
Isla explores the responsibility behind the beauty, comparing the Southern White-Faced owl to the ghost-like Barn owl and the formidable European Eagle owl.
Setting the Stage
A tour of the specialized sanctuary at Noonvares Farm, from double-door safety porches to the precision tools required for expert falconry care.
Arrival Day
The first forty-eight hours: Isla demonstrates the quiet patience needed to minimize stress as Luri acclimates to her new Cornish home.
+ View Film Transcript (Field Notes)
Hi, I’m Isla! Today, I’m thrilled to be introducing you to my beautiful Southern White-Faced Owl, Luri. I’ve really fallen in love with this tiny owl species. For a 'newbie' falconer like me, she is absolutely perfect because she is so chilled out. One of the best things about working with cute owls like Luri is that their talons don’t hurt that much; they are actually very soft and gentle.
Her eyes are stunning, and her relaxed nature makes her so easy to fly. Honestly, if you're looking for the perfect bird for a beginner, this is the one! Now, the only downside is that she does poop a lot, but that’s just part of the owl experience! There are so many wonderful details about her, like the beautiful white 'rim' around her face. It really highlights her features and makes those orange eyes pop. Did you know those feathers around her beak actually help protect her while hunting? And those bright orange eyes? They are specially designed to help her hunt at dawn and dusk.
This isn't the only video we have planned! I’m going to be sharing a full series of owl babies and their journey, from the moment we pick them up to the day we finally free-fly them in the woods. I’ll show you how to care for an owl, the specialist equipment you’ll need, how to handle them, and a look at the different species of cute owls you can find. There’s so much more to come, so stay tuned for the rest of the series!
Parallel Journeys
While Isla documents her time with Luri, Dr. Elizabeth Adey shares a professional 12-month masterclass on the care and seasonal management of our resident Pygmy Goats.
Learn about our Pygmy Goats →Avian Insights
Understanding the responsibility behind the beauty. Exploring the specialist care required for birds of prey.
Why are Southern White-Faced Owls considered such cute owls for falconry?
Southern White-Faced Owls are often cited as the most cute owls in the avian world due to their oversized orange eyes and distinctive "ear" tufts. Beyond their aesthetic appeal, they are favored in falconry because they are relatively small and manageable for junior falconers like Isla. However, their "cuteness" belies a highly sophisticated predator that requires precise weight management and a specialized diet to thrive in a domestic environment.
How do you properly hand-rear and imprint owl babies?
Hand-rearing owl babies is a 24-hour commitment that begins the moment they hatch. To successfully "imprint" a bird, ensuring it views the human keeper as its parent, the handler must provide constant socialization during the first few months of life. At Noonvares Farm, Isla ensures Luri is exposed to daily household sounds and gentle handling, which creates the deep bond of trust necessary for future free-flight training.
Is a Southern White-Faced Owl suitable for a beginner?
While they are widely considered cute owls, they are more delicate than the traditional Barn Owl. They require a stable temperature and are more sensitive to stress. We recommend that beginners work alongside an expert, such as Dr. Elizabeth Adey, to learn the nuances of "manning" and equipment maintenance before taking on their own bird.
What is the most important factor in keeping owl babies healthy?
Dietary precision is everything. Healthy owl babies require a diet that mimics their natural prey, including bone and fur for essential calcium and digestion. Using digital scales to monitor their "flying weight" daily is the only way to ensure they are neither undernourished nor too heavy to respond to training cues.
Luri and Chesney both live on the farm in west Cornwall, alongside the horses and the pygmy goats. Guests at the farm holiday cottage see them. If you are weighing up a first bird of your own, the practical comparison is in the best first bird of prey, and the hawk side of it is in training Chesney.
Owl Notes
Frequently asked questions
What is a southern white-faced owl?
A small owl from sub-Saharan Africa, kept in this country by falconers rather than found wild here. It is much lighter than a hawk and its talons are far gentler, which is why it suits a young or small handler.
Are owls good for a beginner falconer?
They can be, with one large caveat: an owl is not a hawk and does not behave like one. A white-faced owl is calm and easy to hold, and its weight margins are very tight, so it suits somebody who will weigh accurately every day. The full comparison is in the best first bird of prey.
At what age does an owl need to be hand-reared to imprint?
From about two weeks old. That is the opposite of a hawk, which is taken on after it has fledged so that it does not imprint on people at all.
Do white-faced owls hoot?
Not in the way people expect. They make a distinct chattering call rather than the classic hoot, which is one of the first surprises for anybody who has only heard tawny owls.
What does an owl need to be housed in?
A secure enclosure with a double-door safety porch, so the bird cannot get out when you go in. Housing, weathering and the welfare code behind it are set out in the beginner guide.
Can visitors meet the owl?
Guests staying at the farm holiday cottage see the birds. They are handled by the family only, which is a welfare decision.