Eurasian eagle-owl chick hatches at National Aviary in Pittsburgh, encounters available

If you’d like to meet a baby owl, you might want to plan a trip to Pittsburgh’s North Side.

A Eurasian eagle-owl chick has hatched at the National Aviary on Arch Street, caretakers announced Friday.

The 6-day-old owlet weighs about 80 grams, or as much as a small peach.

But Eurasian eagle-owls are among the largest species of owls in the world.

By the time the owlet turns 8 weeks old, the owl will reach its full size of about 10 pounds — with a wing span as long as Michael Jordan is tall, or about 6 ½ feet.

Its gender is not yet known, pending a DNA test.

The owlet, which hatched on Saturday, will be hand-raised at the Aviary, the nation’s largest indoor nonprofit zoo dedicated to birds.

Eventually, the chick will head to another accredited zoo to serve as “an ambassador for its species,” the Aviary said.

It marks the seventh Eurasian eagle-owl to hatch at the Aviary in recent years.

RELATED: Baby Eurasian eagle owl debuts at Pittsburgh’s National Aviary

The chick can be seen daily in the indoor zoo’s Avian Care Center window.

For a $75 fee, guests can schedule interactive encounters with the owlet as part of its growth and development. A limited number of participants will be able to touch the chick’s downy feathers and snap photos under the supervision of Aviary experts.

The Aviary’s first “Baby Owl Encounter” will be scheduled at 2 p.m. on Jan. 29 and encounters will continue for the ensuing few weeks.

For more information or to book an encounter, call 412-258-9445.

Natasha Lindstrom is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Natasha at 412-380-8514, nlindstrom@tribweb.com or via Twitter @NewsNatasha.