Injured Barn Owl

We admitted this young barn owl last week, he was grounded and easily caught. On examination we found an injury to the left wing on a joint, this is often fatal for such a bird of prey that needs to be able to fly perfectly to hunt. We did fear the worst, however X-rays confirmed that there was no obvious break, there was though soft tissue damage and swelling.

Although so far positive, this is still a serious injury for such a bird that needs to be perfect to survive and it will be a few weeks before we know if he can be released.