Blue Ridge Wildlife Center Patient of the Week—Eastern Screech Owl

Please, get injured wildlife to a professional!

This Eastern Screech Owl came into care almost 2 weeks ago quiet, thin, and dehydrated. The patient was found on the side of a road, presumably after being hit by a vehicle.

Photos / BRWC

Unfortunately, the finders illegally kept the injured bird for several weeks in a small birdcage and fed it an inappropriate diet.

This owl had evidence of trauma to the left shoulder as well as a significantly overgrown upper beak that was impeding their ability to open/close the beak normally.

As raptors actively use their beaks to tear into prey items, an overgrowth like this can make it difficult or impossible for them to eat.

We anesthetized the owl for radiographs to further assess the shoulder, and also performed “coping” (trimming) of the upper beak to get it back to a normal shape—you can really see the difference between these before and after photos!

This patient has been receiving fluid support and a balanced diet and is now in outdoor caging to further condition their shoulder.

We will continue to monitor the beak regrowth for at least one month while feeding the patient a proper diet to ensure the overgrowth was due to poor nutrition. It’s important that we are confident this owl will be able to thrive on its own in the wild when released!

It may be tempting to hold on to a wild animal “just until it recovers,” but these animals need medical care as soon as possible to give them the best chance at being released!

With car or window strikes, birds often perk up and fly off due to adrenaline to escape predators (like humans attempting to rescue them). They then succumb hours or even days later to internal injuries, fractures, etc. that could have been avoided or managed by a licensed rehabilitator.

If you find a wild animal in need, please get them to a permitted professional right away!

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