Long-Eared Owl – Owls in Towels https://owlsintowels.org/ Sat, 12 Sep 2026 02:59:19 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.2 https://owlsintowels.org/content/media/tBNh7to.png Long-Eared Owl – Owls in Towels https://owlsintowels.org/ 32 32 Orphaned Long-Eared Owl https://owlsintowels.org/orphaned-long-eared-owl/ https://owlsintowels.org/orphaned-long-eared-owl/#respond Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://owlsintowels.org/?p=4710
A young Long-Eared Owl is partially wrapped in and supine upon a towel patterned butter-yellow and white. His head is turned to face the rehabilitator off-camera, who wears white nitrile gloves, and pinches the owl's ankles between fingers to keep him immobile for treatment. With luck this will also keep the carer safe from the sharp talons spread anisodactyl like a trio of upholstery needles bottom of frame.

An orphaned Long-Eared Owl chick was dehydrated on admission. Special care and diet will help him grow until he is ready to return to the wild.

Original post – 03 Mar 2026
by GREFA Wildlife Rescue Center
a.k.a Grupo de Rehabilitación de la Fauna Autóctona y su Hábitat

located in Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain 🇪🇸
Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Original text in Spanish:

Ingresa el primer volantón de la temporada en GREFA🪺✨️

La primera cría de rapaz del año ya está en el hospital de GREFA: se trata de un volantón de búho chico que llegó ligeramente deshidratado y ya ha recibido los primeros cuidados en nuestra clínica 🩺💊

No es casualidad que se trate de una rapaz noctura, puesto que muchas de estas especies inician la época de cría antes que otras rapaces🦉

Tras realizarle una revisión completa y comenzar con las pautas iniciales de tratamiento, ha pasado al departamento de Huérfanos, donde está recibiendo alimentación y cuidados específicos para crecer y desarrollarse con normalidad hasta que esté preparado para regresar al medio natural 🌿🐛

Es el primero… ¡pero no será el último! 🐣
Con la primavera comienzan a ingresar cientos de pollos huérfanos de distintas especies que necesitan atención especializada, tratamientos, alimentación frecuente y un seguimiento constante hasta poder volver a la naturaleza 🌳🌞

Empieza una de las épocas más intensas del año para nuestro equipo, ¡estamos preparados para darles una segunda oportunidad a todos ellos! 💪🪶

DeepL English translation:

The first fledgling of the season arrives at GREFA🪺✨️

The first raptor chick of the year is already at the GREFA hospital: it’s a little owl fledgling that arrived slightly dehydrated and has already received initial care at our clinic 🩺💊

It’s no coincidence that this is a nocturnal bird of prey, since many of these species begin their breeding season earlier than other birds of prey🦉

After undergoing a thorough examination and beginning the initial treatment plan, he has been transferred to the Orphans Department, where he is receiving specialised nutrition and care to help him grow and develop normally until he is ready to return to the wild 🌿🐛

This is the first one… but it won’t be the last! 🐣
With the arrival of spring, hundreds of orphaned chicks of various species begin to arrive, all in need of specialised care, medical treatment, frequent feedings, and constant monitoring until they’re ready to return to the wild 🌳🌞

One of the busiest times of the year is beginning for our team – we’re ready to give them all a second chance! 💪🪶

The youngster now looks directly at camera, with beak and bright lava-orange eyes wide open, expressing alarm. He's covered in ashy-white fuzz typical of nestlings, and could be mistaken for either very cute dryer lint, or strawberries after 24 hrs in the fridge.

Link to donate to GREFA Wildlife Rescue Center for those willing and able.

xo owlsintowels

💛🦉

SpeciesCommon NameMore info
Asio otusLong-eared OwlWiki link



Correction 12 Sep 2026: This is a Long-Eared Owl chick, not a Eurasian Eagle-Owl chick as first thought. They’re very similar at this young age!

Top panel: Eurasian Eagle-owl (Bubo bubo) owlets in the nest. — Photo: WildMedia/Shutterstock.com Bottom panel: Four Long-Eared Owl (Asio otis) owlets stand on a tree branch at sunrise in Minsk. —Photo: CFP Both panels show owlets with orange eyes and fuzzy white feathers, virtually indistinguishable from muppets.
]]> https://owlsintowels.org/orphaned-long-eared-owl/feed/ 0 Flight Test Fledgling https://owlsintowels.org/flight-test-fledgling/ https://owlsintowels.org/flight-test-fledgling/#respond Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://owlsintowels.org/?p=4493 A young Long-Eared Owl - mistakable for a Jim Henson muppet - is wrapped in a pale slate-blue microfibre towel, above a grassy setting. Two hands hold the bundle of owl in the exact fashion someone might hold a burger between bites.

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.

Snapped from over-the-shoulder, the fledgling peers up at camera with orange eyes like undersized lifebuoys. Now pocketed inside the towel and flattened to the captor's chest - and continuing the food theme from before - he looks more like calzone than burger.

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).

In this view the owl is cloaked in the towel. He sports feathers grey and brown, coated in a fine ashy-white fuzz typical of a fledgling. His chest feathers are matted and scraggly. His beak appears large, disproportionately so, but he will grow into it. His expression is vacant - he holds in his eyes not a hint of malice, wrath, nor bloodlust. Not yet. We will watch his career with great interest.

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

💛🦉

SpeciesCommon NameMore info
Asio otusLong-eared OwlWiki link
]]> https://owlsintowels.org/flight-test-fledgling/feed/ 0 Long-Eared in Switzerland https://owlsintowels.org/long-eared-in-switzerland/ https://owlsintowels.org/long-eared-in-switzerland/#respond Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://owlsintowels.org/?p=4127 A pair of lava-lamp orange eyes are the highlight of this Long-eared Owl's face, brighter in tone than the coral orange towel in which he is wrapped. The namesake 'ears' of his species are rabbit-like, curving outwards, but lacking fur and cartilage; they are feathers after all. His real ears are at eye-level, obscured by feathers (and cotton). His beak and eyes are open: slightly and very, respectively. A complete look of indignation.
Rehabilitators at Erminea treat a Long-eared Owl with a dislocated coracoid, posting that they’re doing everything they can to get him back on his feet.


Original post – 28 May 2024
by Centre Erminea

located in Chavornay, Switzerland 🇨🇭
Website | Instagram | Facebook

Original text in (Swiss) French:

🦉 Un autre rapace est arrivé dans notre centre. Cette fois, il s’agit du hibou moyen-duc (Asio otus)🦉.
Il présente une luxation du coracoïde. Il ne peut plus s’envoler, et ne tient pas debout.
🩺 Nous mettons tout en œuvre pour le soigner et le remettre sur patte.

☝️ Faisant parti intégrante de l’équilibre des écosystèmes de nos forêts et zones agricoles il est primordial de le conserver. Il régule l’effectif des campagnols de nos champs, étant sa source de nourriture principale.
🌒 Essentiellement nocturne vous ne l’observerez que rarement en journée.

🤓 Nota bene: il a été doté d’une morphologie exceptionnelle pour le rendre silencieux en plein vol ! Il présente sur les bords de ses ailes des sortes de “peignes” composés de barbules (crochets entre plumes) qui réduisent considérablement les sifflements lors de la pénétration dans l’air.

👻 Voila pourquoi c’est un peu le fantôme de nos forêts.
Soutenons cet incroyable rapace !🦉
📖 Référence : Lionel Maumary & co, Le livre des oiseaux

English Translation (via DeepL):

🦉 Another bird of prey has arrived at our centre. This time, it is a long-eared owl (Asio otus)🦉.
It has a dislocated coracoid. It can no longer fly and cannot stand up.
🩺 We are doing everything we can to treat it and get it back on its feet.

☝️As it plays a vital role in maintaining the balance of our forest and agricultural ecosystems, it is essential that we protect it. It helps control the vole population in our fields, as voles are its main source of food.
🌒 Being primarily nocturnal, you will rarely spot it during the day.

🤓 Note: it has been blessed with an exceptional anatomy that makes it virtually silent in flight! The edges of its wings feature a sort of ‘comb’ made up of barbs (hooks between the feathers) that significantly reduce the whistling sound as it cuts through the air.

👻 That’s why it’s a bit like the ghost of our forests.
Let’s support this incredible bird of prey!🦉
📖 Reference: Lionel Maumary & co, The Book of Birds

Link to donate to Erminea for those willing and able.

xo owlsintowels

💛🦉

SpeciesCommon NameMore info
Asio otusLong-eared OwlWiki link
]]> https://owlsintowels.org/long-eared-in-switzerland/feed/ 0 Long-Eared Owl in NJ https://owlsintowels.org/long-eared-owl-in-nj/ https://owlsintowels.org/long-eared-owl-in-nj/#respond Wed, 21 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://owlsintowels.org/?p=3129 A Long-Eared Owl is burrito-wrapped in a pine-green towel, held by the thick-gloved hand of a rehabilitator indoors. The owl assays the photographer with expressive yellow eyes. The plumicorns, or "ear tufts" for which the species is so named, are curved like feathery scimitars, with one a tad taller than the other. These tufts are not truly ears (their ears are actually located at the sides of their head, at eye level and concealed). Rather, the tufts are large prominent feathers, and it's not super definitive what they're for, but biologists suggest they help communicate mood and intent to other owls. The tufts are blackish-brown with tawny edges, whereas the owl's facial feathers are a prominent flash of mostly cream and ginger.

Original post – 26 Apr 2019
by Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge
located in Medford, New Jersey, US 🇺🇸
Website | Instagram | Facebook

Original text:

We do our best to share stories of second chances, happy endings, and great outcomes. Unfortunately in wildlife rehabilitation, those cases don’t tell the whole story. We oftentimes face an uphill battle in providing a second chance to the injured and orphaned wildlife that we treat, and we do have patients that we cannot save. This Long-eared Owl was brought to us after he was found unable to fly in a parking lot in Westampton. His intake exam revealed serious head trauma, most likely from a vehicle impact. Our staff did everything possible to save his life, but were ultimately unsuccessful.

This patient passed away after almost a week in care. Post-mortem exam confirmed severe head trauma with a brain bleed. Unfortunately, no treatment would have been able to save him. Oftentimes, the severity of a patient’s injuries can not be seen outwardly. Although we don’t often share these cases on social media, we feel it’s important to tell the whole story and bring awareness to the challenges faced by our native wildlife.

The LEOW rests on two towels, green and white, layered in a donut / horseshoe shape. The patient is located inside a large incubator labelled "BIRD BROODER 90", a machine for controlling oxygen, heat and humidity. It is about as long as a shipping container is wide, with a clear hatchback door behind which the owl watches the photographer, head turned to the side.

Link to donate to Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge for those willing and able.

xo owlsintowels

💛🦉

SpeciesCommon NameMore info
Asio otusLong-eared OwlWiki link
]]> https://owlsintowels.org/long-eared-owl-in-nj/feed/ 0 Long-Eared Overwinters https://owlsintowels.org/long-eared-overwinters/ https://owlsintowels.org/long-eared-overwinters/#respond Mon, 20 Oct 2025 08:00:00 +0000 https://owlsintowels.org/?p=2233 The long ears on this Long-Eared Owl are curled back, appearing like bells on an old-timey alarm clock. His feathers are brown white and creamy caramel. Talons from one foot are bottom frame, clenched and criss-crossed. A vanilla towel with raised white patterning is what cloaks him, supported by a hand in a white medical glove. The owl's eyes are wide, slightly divergent, and expressed in a thousand-mile stare - beautiful bright yellow rings with a grid of skylights reflected in the black pupils within

20th of Owltober!

A Long-Eared Owl was treated for eye ulcers from a head injury. He recovered vision but missed his migration, so overwintered at AIWC to be released in spring.

Posted in Recovery Review – Vol. 24 | Issue 1 | Winter 2017
by Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC)

located in Madden, Alberta, Canada 🇨🇦
Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Original text:

A long-eared owl was recently admitted with ulcers on both eyes, a typical symptom of a head injury. The ulcers have been treated, and the bird now has no risk to his vision. It’s interesting to note that owls hunt as much with their ears as their eyes; experiments having shown that even blind owls can catch prey in the dark.

The long-eared owl spends the winter months in the south, sometimes as far as Mexico, so since this particular owl missed his migration, he will over-winter with AIWC until he can be released in the spring.

Link to donate to Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation for those willing and able.

xo owlsintowels

💛🦉

SpeciesCommon NameMore info
Asio otusLong-eared OwlWiki link
]]> https://owlsintowels.org/long-eared-overwinters/feed/ 0 Lively Long-Eared Owl https://owlsintowels.org/lively-long-eared-owl/ https://owlsintowels.org/lively-long-eared-owl/#respond Wed, 01 Oct 2025 08:00:00 +0000 https://owlsintowels.org/?p=1903 This Long-Eared Owl appears to be suspended in a sling made from a cream towel. The owl's beak and yellow eyes are wide open - punctuating an expression of shock and annoyance. You can almost hear the screeching through the pixels. Some ruffled head feathers, including the quote-unquote "ears" (which are in fact long feathers) accentuate the owl's wayward look.

1st of Owltober!

Kicking off this month of Owltober we have a lively Long-Eared Owl, originally posted by Think Wild in album captioned “patients that make us smile”

Original post – 04 Mar 2025
by Think Wild Central Oregon

located in Bend, Oregon, US 🇺🇸
Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Link to donate to Think Wild for those willing and able.

xo owlsintowels

💛🦉

SpeciesCommon NameMore info
Asio otusLong-eared OwlWiki link
]]> https://owlsintowels.org/lively-long-eared-owl/feed/ 0 Long-Eared in Lebanon https://owlsintowels.org/long-eared-in-lebanon/ https://owlsintowels.org/long-eared-in-lebanon/#respond Tue, 08 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000 https://owlsintowels.org/?p=1984 The owl is wrapped in a taupe blanket patterned with black paw prints. The photo is head-on, showing only the face and neck of the owl emerging from the wrap. Her feathers are a motley of dark brown and cream, and whiskers, chin, and inside of her brow appear white. Her ear-like tufts (from which the species gets its name) are accented white too. The background is another shade of brown giving an overall sepia quality. Her eyes are by far the most vivid part of the image: a pair of orange irises, suggesting she is a crepuscular hunter, i.e. most active at dawn and dusk.

Original post – 24 Nov 2022

by Lebanese Wildlife
located in Beirut, Lebanon

Website | Instagram | Facebook

New admission!
This beautiful long eared owl came into our care with a broken wing due to illegal hunting. We are getting daily reports of such cases and it’s impossible to keep up with all of them due to the tough situation in the country.
if you’re able to help us with transportation to reach more animals in need across Lebanon please [contact Lebanese Wildlife]🙏

Link to donate to Lebanese Wildlife for those willing and able.

xo owlsintowels

💛🦉

SpeciesCommon NameMore info
Asio otusLong-eared OwlWiki link
]]> https://owlsintowels.org/long-eared-in-lebanon/feed/ 0 Easier breathing for Long-eared Owl https://owlsintowels.org/easier-breathing-for-long-eared-owl/ Wed, 16 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000 https://owlsintowels.org/?p=1793 A Long-eared Owl is wrapped in a vibrant striped towel in shades of orange, sky blue, buttery yellow, watermelon red and plum. The owl has a large beak protruding over the edge of the fabric, and some fairly hefty rictal bristles a.k.a. whiskers to match. The photographer has captured the owl mid-blink, and one of its amber eyes is partially closed. This gives the owl an expression that—if it were human—could be described as haughtiness or nonchalance, or a combination of the two.

Original post – 06 Aug 2020

by Dr Ghazale at Tehran Birds Garden

located in Tehran, Iran

Instagram | YouTube

An Asio otus with upper respiratory infection problem, has been under treatment for 3 weeks and now every thing is ok 😍
Put a ❤️ for it!

Normally a link would be included here to donate to the clinic, but the website (birdsgarden.ir) seems to be no longer active.

xo owlsintowels

💛🦉

SpeciesCommon NameMore info
Asio otusLong-eared OwlWiki link
]]> Startled Long-Eared Owl https://owlsintowels.org/startled-long-eared-owl/ https://owlsintowels.org/startled-long-eared-owl/#respond Thu, 06 Jul 2023 00:00:51 +0000 https://owlsintowels.org/?p=433

Original post – 30 Apr 2020 – Source
by Willowbrook Wildlife Center
in Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Website | Instagram | Facebook

”Our long-eared owl patient, who could blend right into the bark of a tree, has head and eye trauma injuries consistent with a collision. We are seeing improvement in the inflammation of her eyes. That startled look is typical for this species, which looks like a smaller, skinny great horned owl.

”The common names of these birds really have nothing to do with their actual ears, but instead refer to the feather tufts on the top of their heads. These tufts help them to camouflage and may act as a tool for communication as they can raise and lower them. Their actual ears are on the sides of their heads, and sounds are directed right into them with the help of the head and facial feathers controlled by these birds. It makes them amazing hunters by sound alone!

”Seeing these types of birds in Illinois is a treat and gives us reason to celebrate the variety of habitats we provide, especially in our forest preserves. It’s another great reason to take care to keep our wild places healthy, diverse, and safe for all users.”

For those willing and able please consider helping fund Willowbrook Wildlife Center at the following DONATION LINK

💛🦉

xo owlsintowels

SpeciesCommon NameMore info
Asio otusLong-eared OwlWiki link
]]> https://owlsintowels.org/startled-long-eared-owl/feed/ 0