This owl is a mom-to-be

From Cape Wildlife Center:

This female eastern screech owl was brought in to our Cape hospital after being hit by a car and becoming stuck in the grill.

Miraculously, she didn't sustain any fractures and only had some very minor ocular trauma. But there was still more going on than met the eye...

On exam, a closer look revealed something important. There was an area of feathers missing over the front of her body.

This is called a brood patch - a naturally featherless area where the skin has an increased blood supply to help maintain heat for incubating eggs.

When our vet team saw this, they knew she was either already incubating eggs or getting ready to lay.

Although no eggs were seen on radiographs, that doesn't necessarily mean she wasn't gravid. Some fun facts: only female screech owls develop brood patches, and eggs aren't always calcified enough to show up on X-rays until just before they are laid.

Once eggs are laid, the female owls typically remain on the nest to incubate while the male brings food back to them.

Because of this finding, and the fact that her injuries were minor, we treated her with fluids and pain medication to support her recovery, and made the decision to release her as soon as possible back to where she was found, so she could return to her nest.