Juniper the Great Horned Owl

Juniper is our resident Great Horned Owl. She came to Ojai Raptor Center in the beginning of nesting season in 2020, as a nestling patient with head trauma after falling from her nest.  Because she continued to show signs of neurological trauma and stunted development, we determined she would not be successful in the wild and that she was a better candidate for education than she was for release. 

Great Horned Owls, like all other owls as far as we know, do not have the ability to make their own nests. As apex predators and early nesters, these owls have become adept at taking over nests made by other birds. Ojai Raptor Center receives more of this species each nesting season than any other.

You can meet Juniper, sometimes called “Juni” for short by ORC staff, along with our other education ambassadors, in one of our virtual education programs.