Just because you can't see them, doesn't mean there aren't four owls in this photo. Would I lie to you about owls? Look:
Seriously, one:
Two, three, four:
For greater clarity:
Two baby owls. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior says that owls lay 2 to 8 eggs at 1 to 2 day intervals and hatching is asynchronous, which explains why there was one chick and then another chick. It also means that there could still be more chicks hatching, but I'm not holding my breath. It's a lot of work raising owl chicks. The book also says that the chicks are altricial, meaning under-developed. They hatch with eyes closed, sparse down, and unable to raise their heads. This means that these guys were not hatched yesterday and today. In fact, considering when I saw the owls mating, and how long great horned owls incubate, these guys probably hatched about a month ago already.
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