Ferruginous Owl

This Pygmy Owl is wrapped in a towel best described as a pale green sitting somewhere between "cucumber crush" and "seafoam spray". Its feathers are a reddish brown, from which the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl (if indeed this is the correct ID) gets its name, meaning of or relating to iron (and rust). To the back and out of focus is the green foliage of a tree with patches of bokeh sunlight filtering through. Behind that, a red brick wall. Closer to the fore is the collared shirt of the person holding the wrap, with pinched thumb and forefinger appearing bottom of frame. The owl's eyes are yellow and wide. The shape and shade around the brow of its eyes gives it a surprised or worried expression like it's having flashbacks to some long-forgotten event.

Original posted on Reddit – 20 Jul 2018

Species appears to be a Pygmy Owl. There are 29 species in the family Glaucidium, and a great many more subspecies, so if anyone can identify which one specifically, please shout out. Original poster u/Alexzuqui has been inactive for some years now but based on context we can infer the location is Honduras, which narrows it down to probably a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, or possibly a Central American Pygmy Owl.

No associated clinic with this post, since the owl was released shortly after capture once it was deemed to be OK.

Original text from OP:

This cute boi crashed with a window and my brother cared for him until he was ready to fly. Take care of all superbowls!

…

…That window left him really, really stunned. But no worries, it took just a few minutes and he was back at it again

Note that even though the owl appeared OK, it’s still important to contact a rehabber (if you ever find yourself in this situation) because the impact of an injury might not manifest until some hours later. If in doubt contact your nearest licensed rehabilitator.

xo owlsintowels

💛🦉

SpeciesCommon NameMore info
Glaucidium brasilianumFerruginous Pygmy OwlWiki link

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