This little guy, a young Long-Eared Owl, was posted to r/owls by Reddit user bl00dspilled.
Original post – 30 May 2026
Backstory: While working at/near an airport, the poster was alerted to a young owl that had been found on the ground and placed in a cardboard box. They contacted local animal protection and transferred the owl to the tree containing the original nest.
In the post they expressed concern the owl appeared to have fallen from the nest, and sought advice on what the owl might eat. Comments advised not to feed the owl, predicting that although unseen the parents were likely watching from nearby and able to bring food (takeaways, yum!). Comments also reassured the poster that this ground-dwelling behaviour was normal for fledglings while they learn to climb trees and practise flight.
The poster then followed up to say they had warned other airport users to leave any young owls alone, or place them on a branch for extra safety (since some workers would bring their dogs to the airport to roam the grass while they worked on the planes).
The original poster did all the right things: sought advice before intervening, and cautioned others on how best to ensure the owl’s well-being.
Stories like this are fairly common, i.e. well-meaning people contacting wildlife centres about owls on the ground, thinking the owls are injured when they’re actually fine. In this instance, given the presence of dogs, intervening helped mitigate risk to the owl, but in most cases leaving an owl alone is the best course of action. The International Owl Center has the following advice on fledglings:
Does the owl need help?
Not all owls on the ground need help. If it is a young owlet with a fuzzy head and body but has fully grown wing feathers and a stubby tail, it is a fledgling just learning to fly. Spending some time on the ground is a normal part of their life, since it takes them days to weeks to learn how to fly well, depending on the species. Mom and Dad are usually nearby taking care of them, whether you see them or not. Owlets at this stage only need help if they are injured or both parents have been killed. If the owlet is in a dangerous location, it can be picked up and moved to a safer location by nudging the back of its legs with a stick to get it to step up or by using leather gloves. Parents will not reject their young just because they were touched by humans. Fledgling owls can actually climb trees using their feet, beaks, and flapping their wings. They do this especially well when placed near a sloping tree trunk. Any adult owl on the ground that you can walk up to needs help.
With that in mind, note that some owls species shouldn’t be left on the ground. Barn Owl babies for example, are helpless out of the nest. This from the Barn Owl Trust:
It is not normal for young Barn Owls to be out of the nest before they can fly. Leaving them well alone is usually not the best thing to do […]
[Barn] Owlets that are too young to fly must be placed back in the nest.
So it really depends on the species (and your local area), but I think it’s safe to say that most fledgling birds on the ground are undergoing a normal and natural process of learning to leave the nest.
At the end of posts we usually post a link for donating to the associated wildlife organisation, but no clinic or location was included in the original Reddit post. So, in lieu of that info, I’m sure the International Owl Center (US) or Barn Owl Trust (UK) would gladly welcome your support:
Link to donate to The International Owl Center and link to donate to Barn Owl Trust for those willing and able.
xo owlsintowels
💛🦉
| Species | Common Name | More info |
|---|---|---|
| Asio otus | Long-eared Owl | Wiki link |
