The Barn Owl's Story

The owl wasn't moving.

It wasn't flapping, or standing, or swaying its head in the distinctive way barn owls do. In fact, it hardly seemed to be alive at all. When our rehab team admitted this adult barn owl, it was only the trace of a heartbeat that let them know the comatose raptor was still living.

The owl had been hit by a car, and probably sustained a concussion in addition to suffering a broken leg and other injuries. It was already in a coma when it arrived, and its outlook was not good. Dr. Scott Ford, an avian specialist, gave the owl fluids through the bone (some owl bones are semi-hollow). The owl didn't move through the entire process. Mike Pratt, our director of wildlife services, took the owl home with him to monitor it through the night. He stayed up with the owl until midnight that night, hoping for some improvement, but no luck. Things did not look good.

Imagine his surprise and relief when he awoke the next morning and found the owl, not only still alive, but lifting its head off the floor of its crate! When Mike tried to give the owl fluids again, it put up a fight, which was a wonderful sign. From that day on, the owl has continued to improve. It quickly "graduated" from living inside the hospital to being in its own outdoor enclosure, which had been newly fitted up with an owl box. The owl loved spending time in its box, where it felt very safe. (At right, a volunteer weighs the owl.)

When people came near the owl, it would screech at them from the safe confines of its box. If it wasn't in its box, it would make a "toe brush" motion, swaying its head from side to side, brushing its toes with the feathers of its chin. This is a clear "back off" movement that the rehab team was delighted to see. It was such a relief to see the owl acting like an owl again!

The owl dis have a broken leg, so it had to remain with us for about six weeks until the bone healed. We were glad to see that its appetite was excellent -- this owl could eat as many as five mice a day.

After its leg healed and the owl had demonstrated that it could hunt on its own, we were delighted to send it back to the wild! On a pleasant evening, the owl was released back to the skies where it can hunt and soar once again.

What Do Barn Owls Eat?
In the wild, barn owls eat small rodents almost exclusively (with the occasional small bird thrown in.) They swallow their meals whole and later regurgitate the bones, teeth, and fur of their meal in a 1- to 2-inch sized pellet. Most owls produce one or two pellets a day.

Read more about owls.

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