Screech Owls!

Alert! If you have found a baby screech owl or other baby bird, please go here for rescue info first before continuing. Keeping babies, even for a few days can deprive it of the proper nutrition and social skills necessary for survival. We have foster moms standing by, ready for duty!

Orphaned Screech Owls at the

Falcon Batchelor Bird of Prey Center

Miami Science Museum

It's that time of year again, and almost every other patient admitted to our facility is an Eastern Screech owl. As our migratory visitors prepare to start their long trip home, our resident Screech owls prepare to increase their numbers by...well you know... let's just say "the birds and the bees" earn their long standing meaning.

The adults, seemingly distracted by their hormonal urges come into our center mostly affected by injuries caused by trauma. Head injuries top the list, and we find that many suffer damage to their eyes.

The Screech Owl Orphan Program

Last year, we received close to 30 orphaned screech owl babies. 90% of them are perfectly healthy and are directly placed into our orphan program as soon as they are admitted to the center. The other 10% require medical attention or a couple of days of intensive feeding to build up their strength before being placed in the program. We are in the process of implementing a reintroduction program that will allow babies to be successfully reunited with their parents or fostered into already established nests that have suffered the loss of one or more young birds.

Step 1

The baby is assessed for injuries, its general health and weight is determined, and it is assigned a case and band number. Appropriate medical treatment is given, including rehydration as we assume that whatever circumstances that brought it to our center caused it stress and dehydration.

Step 2

The baby is introduced to Lucille, or one of our other role model screech owls. Lucille is the star of our foster mom program. Our youngest patients are placed with her as she has demonstrated that she will indeed feed and care for them as their wild mother would. She displays aggression to us and defends them as we handle them only assess their weight to ensure that everyone is eating their fair share of the food. The other advantage to having Lucille and our other role models is that they provide the socialization that is necessary for these owls later in life. By learning how to correctly relate to others of their own kind, they will go on to produce and raise the next generation. They are able to do what we never could, and that is teach them how to be owls.

Step 3

When babies are old enough for short flights (as indicated by their feather growth) they are placed into hunting school. What do they hunt might you ask, why insects of course. They may dine on small rodents, reptiles, or amphibians, but the bulk of their diet will consist of the most abundant food source, the insect world. Our insect choice: crickets. Please note, cricket school is a short term process. Commercially raised crickets do not provide a complete food source for these birds, and they would develop nutritional deficiencies if raised on a diet of crickets alone.

Step 4

Once the babies have "graduated" or successfully shown their ability to hunt (sometimes being aided by another role model), they are placed into a "rehabilitation mew" or wooden cage outside so they can acclimate to life outside and test their new found flying ability. Several weeks of seclusion with other owls will only strengthen their self image of who they are and increase their distrust of humans, a quality highly desired in wildlife rehabilitation.

Step 5

Now fully feathered and fully grown, the babies are transported to what will be the final stage in their rehabilitation, the hack box. A hack box is designed to allow the now grown screech owls to adjust to their surroundings before their final introduction back into the wild. The box is set up in a secluded surrounding, high above the ground, and the babies are placed in 3 at a time. The only contact they have with humans is when food is placed in a trap door on the side for a matter of about 5 minutes a day. After 3-4 days, the doors are carefully opened to allow them their freedom, if they choose. No one is forcefully kicked out! We continue to feed them for a couple of days to give them a helping hand, then close the box to allow a "stale period" so that we may prepare for the next group. Freedom! The ultimate goal and success of our orphan screech owl program.

If you have found a baby screech owl, please visit our rescue page or call 305-322-8887 to arrange for rescue.