Healing A Northern Saw-whet Owl

This adult Northern Saw-whet owl (Aegolius acadicus) was brought into the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah by a Good Samaritan from Magna, Utah, after a traumatic injury — likely due to hitting a window.

This bird presented slightly underweight with a decreased body condition score and neurologic signs with an intake weight of 86 grams. We started the owl on oral analgesics and esophageal tube feeding of EmerAid Intensive Care Carnivore on the day of intake and offered a mouse to determine appetite.

After the first day, we knew that the bird had little to no appetite and the Emeraid Intensive Care Carnivore was continued. A few days later, this Saw-whet was back on its feet (literally!) with an increased weight of 90 grams and was eating on its own.

We know that without digestible nutrition for those first few days, the outcome for this owl may have been different. The patient now eats whole prey on its own, weighs 92 grams, and should make a full recovery. We hope to release it back into the wild this year.