Lovebirds! Adorable moment two barn owls pucker up for the camera
A PAIR of lovebirds delighted onlookers when they “kissed” for the camera.
The two barn owls snuggled up at a falconry show after entertaining the crowds with their flying display.
But the owls pictured at Lea Marston in Warwickshire are sisters - not a breeding pair.
Photographer Leslie Arnott, 55, of Norton Canes, Staffordshire, who teaches bird photography, said: "The owls are trained but they fly free in the woodland for customers to photograph them.
“It was so special when they alighted on the branch and started a little intimacy together.
“They started rubbing heads and getting quite affectionate. Then came the moment they appeared to kiss each other.”
They certainly looked like they tried to kiss but I guess we will never know for sure
“They ‘kissed’ twice. “It was probably not intentional but it was a moment I have never witnessed before or since - despite many attempts to try and get them to repeat the moment for others.
“They certainly looked like they tried to kiss but I guess we will never know for sure.
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“These owls are very affectionate towards each other and work well together however they are not a breeding pair they are actually sisters.”
Paul Stancliffe of the British Trust for Ornithology said: “Young owls will form a bond and stick together for a couple of weeks after leaving the nest before they disperse and go their separate ways. The next bond they will form will be with a mate.
“But these two clearly have a bond and this is how they maintain it.”