Stowaway Owl Saved, Lightens Mood After Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Criticized

With Christmas just around the corner, putting up big trees in special places like the Rockefeller Center has been traditional. But for this year, there was a small surprise in the form of a tiny owl, a Saw-whet owl.

The little bird, now known as Rockefeller, was found hungry and dehydrated but unharmed. According to the Ravensbeard Wildlife Center in Saugerties, New York, they received a call Monday morning from a woman who said that her husband had discovered the owl. Her husband was working for the company that transports and secures the tree in Rockefeller Center.

The 75-foot Norway spruce was cut down in Oneonta, New York last week and it is surprising how the tiny owl was able to survive it all. Rockefeller was on the tree when it went on a 170-mile road trip to Manhattan, ABC News reported.

The small owl was immediately taken to a veterinarian on Wednesday and had a clean bill of health. He was treated to an all-you-can-eat mice buffet at the center. Director and founder of the Ravensbeard Wildlife Center Ellen Kalish said that they plan to release the owl back into the wild this weekend once they give Rockefeller a clean bill of health.

"It had been three days since he ate or drank anything," the Ravensbeard Wildlife Center wrote on their Facebook page. "So far so good, his eyes are bright and seems relatively in good condition with all he’s been through."

The Ravensbeard Wildlife Center was also a bit surprised as to why the tiny owl ended up in the tree. They explained that all baby owls are usually born in the spring so discovering it in November was a bit odd.

As for the huge tree that weighs roughly 11 tonnes, it is expected to get decorated in the coming weeks. The tree is usually lit up for the public in December, The Guardian reported.

Also, the owl may have lightened up things after the said tree drew criticism for its bare lower branches and dropping needles. Some even compared it to something similar to the trees seen in the Peanuts Christmas special, A Charlie Brown Christmas.

The Rockefeller Center responded to the criticism, explaining that the tree was experiencing the usual effects after being transported 200 miles. They told critics to wait until the tree gets officially lit up on Dec. 2.