Alaska’s smallest owl gets the royal treatment after life-threatening injury

Located on southeast Alaska’s scenic Baranof Island, Sitka’s Alaska Raptor Center primarily treats the region’s iconic bald eagles. These large birds of prey stand nearly three feet tall and have a wingspan of over 6 feet. So one can only imagine how striking it must have been when staff received a sparrow-sized northern pygmy owl, the smallest species of owl in Alaska.

“Boarding such a small owl is always a challenge! Our enclosures are all designed for larger birds!” Jennifer Cedarleaf, avian director of the center, tells Popular science. “We will take any bird that needs help, so even though this little owl is unusual for us, we are here to help care for injured birds and do our best to return them to their natural habitat.”

The little predator was found by its rescuers while sitting in their yard in the town of Ketchikan with its left wing outstretched. They called him King Owlbert and were immediately faced with a dilemma. They couldn’t just drive Her Majesty from Ketchikan to the Alaska Raptor Center in Sitka. The towns are located on two different islands without any road connections. Instead, King Owlbert took a 40-minute flight on Alaska Airlines.

[ Related: Why a ‘donut’ can help injured birds. ]

Since northern pygmy owls can become stressed quickly, Cedarleaf was nervous about the trip. The center asked rescuers to place King Owlbert in a kennel with all the windows and doors covered with cardboard with holes in it. This allows air circulation, while keeping the kennel dark and with low visibility, helping the raptors stay calm.

When he arrived, King Owlbert was healthy, but a little thin, weighing 52 grams (about two ounces). Northern pygmy owls typically weigh between 60 and 70 grams, or about two ounces. Since his arrival, the team has been feeding him mice, and this constant diet has caused him to gain weight to 57 grams, which is roughly the weight of 23 pennies.

“Because his wing is droopy, we wrapped his wing in what’s called a figure 8 bandage. This bandage wraps around his wing and then continues around his chest, under his good wing, providing support to the injured wing,” Cedarleaf explained. “One of the things we worry about with his drooping wing is that he will break the flight feathers and that will increase the time he spends with us.”

Cedarleaf and his colleagues believe the small predator may have flown into a window and injured its wing. Since they didn’t identify any fractures, King Owlbert could be suffering from a soft tissue injury.

“We are treating his wing with cold laser therapy to help increase blood flow to the wing and aid healing,” Cedarleaf said, adding that the most challenging aspect of caring for this adorable patient is his small size. “We’re also doing physical therapy to keep his joints moving. We’re really hoping his injury will resolve over time and we can release him back into his natural habitat.”

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