this post was submitted on 15 May 2024
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For owls that are superb.
US Wild Animal Rescue Database: Animal Help Now
International Wildlife Rescues: RescueShelter.com
Australia Rescue Help: WIRES
Germany-Austria-Switzerland-Italy Wild Bird Rescue: wildvogelhilfe.org
If you find an injured owl:
Note your exact location so the owl can be released back where it came from. Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitation specialist to get correct advice and immediate assistance.
Minimize stress for the owl. If you can catch it, toss a towel or sweater over it and get it in a cardboard box or pet carrier. It should have room to be comfortable but not so much it can panic and injure itself. If you can’t catch it, keep people and animals away until help can come.
Do not give food or water! If you feed them the wrong thing or give them water improperly, you can accidentally kill them. It can also cause problems if they require anesthesia once help arrives, complicating procedures and costing valuable time.
If it is a baby owl, and it looks safe and uninjured, leave it be. Time on the ground is part of their growing up. They can fly to some extent and climb trees. If animals or people are nearby, put it up on a branch so it’s safe. If it’s injured, follow the above advice.
For more detailed help, see the OwlPages Rescue page.
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I swear this isn't just a Great Horned Owl!
Again, while (edit: the Spotted Eagle Owl is) in the same genus as one of the greatest American owls, this owl is its own species.
This is the most common owl in southern Africa, and it is the smallest of the Eagle Owls. They are commonly found near people, prefer to live in rocky areas, and have a distinct call from the American GHO.
How wild that these continents have such similar owls when so many other continents have owls that look like total aliens to me. Cause if you'd have told me that these were pics of a Burrowing Owl and a GHO, I'd 100% have believed you.
Whoops, I never said the one above is a Spotted Eagle Owl.
Here is a journey of Bubos from South Africa, through north Africa and the Middle East, to India, up through East Asia, over the Bering Land Bridge, and down to South America. I didn't include all the Bubos, but this should be pretty good showing how they changed as they spread out over most of the world. The Fish Owls also probably split off of this group in East Asia. The Snowy and GHO split off somewhere while the land bridge existed.
Spotted Eagle Owl
Pharaoh Eagle Owl
Arabian Eagle Owl
Indian Eagle Owl
Eurasian Eagle Owl
Great Horned Owl
Magellanic (Lesser) Horned Owl
Interesting to see them all!
I'm glad you enjoyed it! This is a bit more direct comparison then I've done before as well.
At one point I was going to show off every owl, one by one, but since about 1/3 of all species would pass for your average Screech Owl, I passed on that project.
I mean... I wouldn't mind seeing that. But it may lessen the impact of the owls. I appreciate your effort.
Oh, we'll get there eventually! I just thought it would be tiring for all of us to have 100 days of Screech variations followed by 50 of Pygmies.
I've been meaning to make a checklist to track who I've missed so far though. I'm hoping I'm about a third through them all.
I'm glad you're enjoying all the ones we've learned about so far! You guys keep me motivated.