Injured Young Owl in South Carolina

[Applesauce]

Found on Pinckney Island in South Carolina around 11 AM on June 2.  It was in a lawn about 15 feet from the edge of a mature pine/live oak/palm tree forest.  Close to a pond with nesting sea birds and a few hundred feet from salt marshes.

I'm assuming it is an owl judging from its head shape and size relative to its body but I never saw its eyes (one picture shows something that could be an eye but might just be a curl of feathers) so I really don't know - maybe its a hawk?  The bird seemed to be slightly larger than a softball from where I was.  I had been past that spot 30 minutes ago and it was not there, so it had only just arrived.  In the pictures there is a black spot where I assume the forehead is that I think may be dried blood, so I suspect it had been attacked.  My best guess is a Short Eared Owl but I'm not at all confident in that.

Note that there was a young woman there on the phone to a rescue group, so hopefully the bird was taken care of, but I was unable to wait to find out what happened.

 

Edited June 7 by Applesauce

[Quiscalus quiscula]

I think it might be a rufous morph Eastern Screech-Owl.

[IKLland]

8 minutes ago, Quiscalus quiscula said:

I think it might be a rufous morph Eastern Screech-Owl.

It is

Edited June 7 by IKLland

[Applesauce]

Thank you both!  I really appreciate it!

[aveschapinas]

2 hours ago, Applesauce said:

Found on Pinckney Island in South Carolina around 11 AM on June 2.  It was in a lawn about 15 feet from the edge of a mature pine/live oak/palm tree forest.  Close to a pond with nesting sea birds and a few hundred feet from salt marshes.

I'm assuming it is an owl judging from its head shape and size relative to its body but I never saw its eyes (one picture shows something that could be an eye but might just be a curl of feathers) so I really don't know - maybe its a hawk?  The bird seemed to be slightly larger than a softball from where I was.  I had been past that spot 30 minutes ago and it was not there, so it had only just arrived.  In the pictures there is a black spot where I assume the forehead is that I think may be dried blood, so I suspect it had been attacked.  My best guess is a Short Eared Owl but I'm not at all confident in that.

Note that there was a young woman there on the phone to a rescue group, so hopefully the bird was taken care of, but I was unable to wait to find out what happened.

 

 

 

Welcome to WhatBird! Thank you for doing the right thing - leaving the bird alone and calling a rehab facility. I hope the owl was OK!