Short Eared Owl
This short-eared owl came to Willowbrook on March 1 after being treated at the University of Illinois Wildlife Clinic, which works in connection with their veterinary school. The bird is recovering from a broken wing. The veterinarians at U of I performed surgery on the bird’s wing using pins to set the bone. The bone is healed, but the bird is unable to extend its wing well enough to fly. The bird was transferred to Willowbrook with hopes that with a larger cage and continued physical therapy, the bird will be able to fly again.
Short-eared owls are uncommon in DuPage County. They are only 15” tall and are often seen hunting at dusk over fields and marshes, sometimes at Pratt’s Wayne Forest Preserve. They nest on the ground, making their nest in a depression concealed by surrounding grasses, lined with dried grasses and feathers from the female’s breast.
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