CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WINK)—A burrowing owl that came in with an injury is recovering at CROW’s hospital.
The Clinic for Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) said a burrowing owl found in Cape Coral was immobile and could not fly.
When they examined it at their hospital, they found the owl had “severe wink drop” with swelling or that it had external wounds.
CROW’s veterinary team said they suspect it’s a soft tissue injury, but don’t know what caused it.
They put the owl in a body wrap to stabilize the wing so it could heal.
Courtesy
CROW
The CROW team said since the owl has been there, it has improved and is now making flights. They say if the progress continues, it will be moved to an outdoor flight enclosure so it can regain strength and get ready to eventually be released.
Weighing just a few ounces and standing less than a foot tall, burrowing owls are one of the smallest species of owl native to Florida. They are the only owl species that nest underground.
In Florida, burrowing owls will dig their own burrows or use burrows made by gopher tortoises or armadillos. The male will often stand guard outside the nest while the female tends to the eggs. They are diurnal, meaning they hunt during the day, so they are commonly seen on Marco Island and Cape Coral.
These owls and their burrows are protected by the state, since they were added to the Threatened Species list in 2017.