Wildlife rehab warns not to handle grounded owlets

A few lucky locals will be able to see baby owls on the ground during owl hatching season, March to April.
However, wildlife experts urge the public not to pick up owl chicks immediately after spotting them.

For the next two months they will be learning to fly and their parents might still be keeping an eye on them from a close distance.

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“Most owls leave their chicks on the ground after they have fallen out of the nest, but the parents usually sit in a nearby tree and still fly down to feed their young,” said Deidré Joubert, co-founder of Wild & Free Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre.

“Too many people want to save the owlets by picking them up, but this is just the way most owls teach their young to fly.”

Although this is true for most owls, including African grass owls, scops owls and pearl-spotted owls, only the barn owls leave their chicks for dead after they have fallen out of the nest.

“Barn owls lay two to 12 eggs at a time, while other owls only lay between two and four eggs,” Joubert added. “This might be to secure the survival of at least a small number of owlets, because they do not fly down to feed their chicks after they have fallen from the nest, like other owl species do.”

Joubert said that if a baby barn owl is seen grounded, it should first be placed back into the nest to see if the mother will come back to feed it. If not, it should be picked up, kept warm and taken to the nearest veterinary hospital or rehabilitation centre.

“Misinformed people might want to try to feed the barn owlet, but this will be a grave mistake. They have to eat fresh white meat, cut up and force-fed into the gizzard. We urge the public to leave the care-taking to the professionals. It is important to first put the barn owl back into its nest.”