Derrick Zuk and his friends were hiking through a canyon in Lake Powell between Utah and Arizona when they saw something unusual: a young owl swimming in the water. The feathers of these birds are not water-proof at all, and owls are not known for swimming, but this little fellow was simply fighting for its life…

If owls get to swim, it’s not because of choice – actually, these birds have no means of defence once they’re in the water. Also, they cannot ascend from the water and need to find a piece of land to dry their feathers first. Therefore, if they don’t manage to find somewhere to land quickly, a swim in the water can be fatal.

Geoff LeBaron from the National Audubon Society told National Geographic that the birdie we see in the video is most likely a young great horned owl that just began to explore the world beyond its nest . “I suspect it actually fell out of the nest,” said LeBaron. “Great horned [owls] do nest on ledges on cliffs…”

“This bird is young enough that the parents were probably still caring for it, so hopefully once the folks go by, the bird dried off and its parents found it,” LeBaron offered. We hope all turned out well for this adorable creature.

(h/t: nationalgeographic)

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