this post was submitted on 08 Dec 2025
116 points (99.2% liked)

Superbowl

6039 readers
298 users here now

For owls that are superb.

Please scroll down to read our community rules.

US Wild Animal Rescue Database: Animal Help Now

International Wildlife Rescues: RescueShelter.com

Australia Rescue Help: WIRES

Germany-Austria-Switzerland-Italy Wild Bird Rescue: wildvogelhilfe.org

If you find an injured owl:

Note your exact location so the owl can be released back where it came from. Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitation specialist to get correct advice and immediate assistance.

Minimize stress for the owl. If you can catch it, toss a towel or sweater over it and get it in a cardboard box or pet carrier. It should have room to be comfortable but not so much it can panic and injure itself. If you can’t catch it, keep people and animals away until help can come.

Do not give food or water! If you feed them the wrong thing or give them water improperly, you can accidentally kill them. It can also cause problems if they require anesthesia once help arrives, complicating procedures and costing valuable time.

If it is a baby owl, and it looks safe and uninjured, leave it be. Time on the ground is part of their growing up. They can fly to some extent and climb trees. If animals or people are nearby, put it up on a branch so it’s safe. If it’s injured, follow the above advice.

For more detailed help, see the OwlPages Rescue page.

Community Rules:

Posts must be about owls. Especially appreciated are photographs (not AI) and scientific content, but artwork, articles, news stories, personal experiences and more are welcome too.

Be kind. If a post or comment bothers you, or strikes you as offensive in any way, please report it and moderators will take appropriate action.

AI is discouraged. If you feel strongly that the community would benefit from a post that involves AI you may submit it, but it might be removed if the moderators feel that it is low-effort or irrelevant.

Also visit our twinned community for wholesome content:

!wholesome@reddthat.com

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Here's an unlikely duo. We've got Africa's largest owl, and we've got one of the northern hemisphere's smallest. One is traditionally adorable, and the other has a one of a kind look. Let's get to know them a bit better!

Milky Eagle Owl (this seems to be the leading name since birding groups have been working to change out names based on people), also known as Verreaux's Eagle Owl, is one large and unique owl. Coming in around 26 inches / 66 cm, this gray and white owl with bright pink eyelids stalks the African savannah.

This owl is genetically unique with no known subspecies, and the closest relatives seem to be the Spot Bellied Eagle Owl and the Barred Eagle Owl and then the Ketupa fish owls. None of these seem particularly closely related though, so there are still many questions about Milky's true origins.

The Milky has the deepest voice of any owl, and one of the deepest voices of any birds, making a very deep grunt.

They have one of the most diverse diets of any owl, which as opportunistic animals is already very diverse. Their diet rubs a range from 5 gram insects up to 22 pound /10 kg mammals. They will even go after multiple types of primates. Milky doesn't care. If it's food, it's getting eaten!

The Little Owl, sometimes known as the owl of Athena, pops up throughout history, from Greek legend to bring famous companions of Picasso and Florence Nightingale.

From temperate Europe, North Africa, ask the way to Korea, a big chunk of the world gets to admit the antics of this small and adorable owl. This owl thrives near people, enjoying the clearings we make for orchards and farms, as they like to live in the woods but hunt in the open. It enjoys insects, worms, and small vertebrates.

This is a very round and petite owl, with a flat head and short tail. It is similar to its cousin the Burrowing Owl, but this owl lives in trees and rocky outcroppings. It is partially diurnal, making it an owl that can be enjoyed during the daytime.

This owl has been put on coins, pottery, paintings, and just about everything else since ancient times to the current day, and was even a trendy pet and cottage hunting companion for a time (owls aren't good pets) and people have introduced them to territories as far as New Zealand as they moved across the globe.

Is the Little Owl big enough to get a win, or do you like your owls big and proud of their unusual looks? It's tough to get more extreme opposites than these two, so perhaps today's choice may be easier than some of the others we've had recently. Upvote your favorite now!

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] anon6789@lemmy.world 6 points 3 months ago

I'm on a mission to get African owls more love. 🌍❤️🦉