Barred Owls - Strix varia

Meet Sophia and Eulen. Both owls are permanent residents of Sharon Audubon in Connecticut.

Sophia was brought to the center in 2004 after being found nearby. She was very sick, extremely thin, and weak. After months of recovery, the rehabilitator who was caring for her decided that she could not be released. Sophia was too unusually gentle and friendly around people; she seemed to enjoy being around humans. So, the theory is that she had been raised as a pet by humans, who then released her back into the wild. But, since she was dependent on humans for survival, Sophia was unable to survive on her own.

Eulen (German for "owl") came to the center in 1999 with an old, poorly healed injury. The cause of his injury is unknown, but his wing had been previously dislocated and healed out of the socket. Unfortunately, Eulen will never be strong enough to sustain flight.

Both of these owls are lovingly cared for and used for educational programs.

*The photo looks weird because I took the shot through the mesh enclosure.