Feb

Small Owl Influx In The TRC Clinic

One of the most remarkable aspects of Teton Raptor Center’s clinic is the incredible diversity of species we treat—between 20 and 25 raptor species each year. While Red-tailed Hawks and Great Horned Owls are frequent patients, we’ve recently seen a striking increase in admissions of less common small owls, particularly Northern Pygmy-Owls and Boreal Owls.

In just the past couple of months, eight of these elusive owls have come to us—every one due to window collisions. Seven have been successfully treated and released, with more admissions still coming in. To put this into perspective, TRC hadn’t admitted a Boreal Owl since 2020 and had only treated two Northern Pygmy-Owls in the past five years. This sudden influx could be tied to population surges fueled by high prey availability, though the exact cause remains uncertain.

Window collisions often cause head trauma, eye injuries, and internal damage. Fortunately, there are simple steps everyone can take to prevent these incidents. We encourage you to explore effective solutions on the American Bird Conservancy’s website. Together, we can help keep these small owls—and all birds—safe.

Boreal Owl admission radiograph from a severe window collision. Note the increased internal inflammation and hemorrhage opacity within the highlighted regions. PC: TRC Staff

Radiograph from the same Boreal Owl (as pictured above) just before release back into the wild. Note how clear these highlighted regions are now, showing resolved internal trauma. PC: TRC Staff