With orange eyes, fluffy down, and an enormous beak this baby made her media debut yesterday.

She’s the only Eurasian eagle owl to be born in an AZA accredited zoo in the last five years.  Hatched on March 13, she lives at the National Aviary where her very versatile mom is an education bird, an exhibit bird and now a breeding bird.

Eurasian eagle owls are native to Europe and Asia and virtually the world’s largest owl.  They resemble great horned owls but they’re 1.5 times larger.

Right now this baby is halfway grown up.  She’s cute but gawky, proudly displaying her tawny down.  I love her eyelashes.  Look at those feet!

You can see her for yourself at the National Aviary starting today, April 10, through May 24.  Since she’s just a baby she’ll stay behind the scenes most of the time and come out just twice a day —  at 11:45am and 2:15pm.

Watch her grow and change in the next six weeks.  By May 24 she’ll look like this.

(photos courtesy of the National Aviary)