A fierce showdown between Boulder County deputies and a teeny owl on Thursday ended in thousands of "aww"s after a photo of the standoff went viral on Twitter.
The Colorado deputies were driving along a road near an undisclosed campground when they came across this fluffy beast known as the Northern Saw-whet Owl.
[seealso slug="bathing-owl"]
Deputies came across this baby. After curious head twisting on both sides, it flew safely away. #DeputiesLoveBabyOwls pic.twitter.com/w5APBgF0Bs— BoulderCountySheriff (@BldrCOSheriff) July 23, 2015
Although the Boulder County Sheriff's Twitter account claimed that the owl is a baby, the Northern Saw-whet Owl is a tiny bird, and only measures about 8-inches long when fully grown. Either way, it's adorable.
After a short confrontation deputies say the bird flew away without incident.