Northern Saw-whet Owl

Just so much cuteness today at The Wildlife Center of Virginia! This Northern Saw-whet Owl wound up at the center because of some biologists who were catching birds in mist nests and banding them. They caught this wee owl and then noticed that it was having trouble getting any lift when it attempted to fly away. So they brought it to us for assessment. There were no obvious problems on x-rays - so the hope is that some anti-inflammatories will help with what might be some sort of strained shoulder sort of injury incurred when it was trapped in the net? Anyway - it's very chipper and absolutely adorable. Everyone always gets excited when there's a NSWO in the house.