Rare owl rescued in Udupi

A rare barn owl with an injury in its wings was rescued by social activist Nithyananda Olakadu.

Olakadu said he found the white colour rare barn owl near Maruthi Veethika area. He said the same species of bird was spotted at the same place a year ago. The injured barn owl was first spotted by Sudhakar Devadiga, a local merchant. It had taken shelter in the corner of the door of a shop in Maruthi Veethika to protect itself from being attacked by stray dogs.

Usually, brown colour enigmatic owls are found in the region. But they are not sighted during day time. This rare white colour barn owl is characterised with a white heart-shaped face, black eyes and looks attractive. According to experts, these barn owl make their stay in the old buildings or ancient forts or graveyard.

They are active only during the night time. Its call is also unique and they eat rats, small birds and snakes to survive. Barn owl is found in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka among other countries. Usually, brown colour owl will be bigger in size compared to barn owl. Olakadu rescued the bird, gave it some initial treatment and entrusted it to the care of the forest department. Olakadu suspects that the barn owl would have injured its wing after being hit by a vehicle.