An 11-week old baby owl named Rio has been described as a ‘stripy humbug’ amid hopes for the endangered species.

Rio is a baby black-banded owl and has mesmerising black and white stripes on her feathers.

The rare markings allow the owls to stay camouflaged in trees before they come out at night to hunt.

She was bred in Gloucestershire and born on January, 25, when she was then moved to The Scottish Owl Centre in Bathgate, West Lothian.

The centre now has three females - amid hopes to breed more of the species.

Head keeper Trystan Williams, 49, said: "She looks like a stripy humbug.

"It's a very rare species, no one knows exactly how many there are.

"If people continue to cut and burn the trees down there will be 25 per cent less of them in 30 years.”

The species originally comes from South America but has become endangered due to their habitat, the Amazon rainforest, disappearing.

There are about 10,000 member species of the owl left, but that number is dwindling each day.

Mr Williams continued: “They are very rare in zoos, only one zoo in South America has them.

Black-banded owl: Baby owl described as a 'stripy humbug' amid hopes for the endangered species