AUSTIN, Texas — With bright yellow eyes and a wingspan of approximately four feet long, the Great Horned Owl is a common species of bird seen throughout the U.S. year-round.
In Austin, one owl in particular has been returning to the same spot for the past 14 years.
Athena is back once again at the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center and this year, the center has set up an "owl cam" so viewers can watch her via a livestream video.
The video was organized in partnership with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Athena can be seen in a planter above the Wildflower Center courtyard.
Athena's History
Last year, Athena was first spotted at her nest on March 1. On March 3, she hatched two babies, called owlets.
Now Athena is incubating two more eggs.
Athena's first appearance at the Wildflower Center was in 2012. Three years later, she returned to lay three eggs.
In 2017, Athena was seen at her nest once again. That year, she hatched two owlets.
In 2019, she laid only one egg. From 2020 to 2023, she laid two eggs each year.
More on Great Horned Owls
Great Horned Owls are seen relatively frequently across the U.S. and adults can usually be found in trees, orchards, wooded areas, ledges and even unoccupied buildings.
Despite their appearance, the owls' so-called horns are actually nothing more than a collection of feathers.
When hungry, these aggressive creatures tend to feed on anything from rabbits and mice to scorpions, cats and even porcupines, depending on what's available to them.
For more than 50 years, this species has continued to populate not just in the U.S., but Canada and various South American countries.
Returning almost every year, Athena has become a well-known part of the Wildflower Center.