Watch This Heroic Mama Owl Save Her Babies from an Invading Snake

If you love owls and drama, you will love this viral video of a barn owl mother saving her babies from a rat snake trying to enter her nest.

The video (shown below) depicts the mama owl sitting in her nest at night with her newly hatched chicks when a huge black rat snake approaches from the outside. The rat snake tries to enter through the hole, and the mama owl responds like a pro, expertly dispatching the snake and forcing it away.

The video clip is short, but it shows just how protective a mama in the wild can be. Even more, it shows that a protective mom transcends species — all mamas want to keep their babies safe, whether human, owl, or something else entirely.

The video does not show what happens after the fight, but if the owl was smart, she would make a meal out of the snake for her chicks!

Barn Owls and Rat Snakes

Barn owls are nocturnal raptors that have heart-shaped faces that are often extremely visible in the moonlight. They are found everywhere in the world except Antarctica. Most of the time they feed on small mammals like rats, mice, squirrels, and rabbits. They then regurgitate the undigested bones and fur as pellets, which is a good sign to look for to see if owls are living in an area. Barn owls are monogamous and mate for life, usually nesting in hollow trees, barns, or other buildings. Sometimes, humans build shelters for them, just like the one in the video below.

Rat snakes are predators that eat rodents, birds, and eggs. They are non-venomous and kill their prey by constriction. Birds and their eggs are often special treats for snakes, with the grey rat snake often being called a “chicken snake” due to their tendency to sit in coops and steal eggs as they hatch.

This video is a rare glimpse into the life of a barn owl mother as she saves her babies from a snake. It also shows how nature can be harsh and unforgiving but also beautiful and inspiring. Watch the video below!

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